Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Simple past tense and past participle of sneak.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

The irregular form snuck originated by analogy of struck for the past of strike. Snuck was originally limited to a few dialects, but is now very widespread (especially in American English) and is recognized by most dictionaries. The word is now one of the best examples of irregularization of a regular verb, along with dove.

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Examples

  • The title snuck up on us with very little hype, so when news of its impending release broke last month we were caught by surprise.

    PSP World 2009

  • The title snuck up on us with very little hype, so when news of its impending release broke last month we were caught by surprise.

    PSP World 2009

  • Anybody notice the name snuck into the middle of the list?

    None Of Republican Moderates Who "Warned" Bush Voted For Iraq Bill 2009

  • Brit graffiti artist "Banksy" once again snuck his own art onto museum walls, this time in New York.

    03/25/2005 2005

  • fyi -- little man's name snuck in up there. . . if you're worried about that sort of thing

    Random Bullets 2007

  • On the red carpet they pooled all the fansites together (six in all) into one clump and we were allowed one question as a group (but we kind of snuck in two).

    Twilight Lexicon » Remember Me Red Carpet: Robert Pattinson 2010

  • Oh, I forgot this is the same Mayor who called an immediate press conference, said Planned Parenthood deserved a occupancy permit when they so-called "snuck" their way into town, after he received a phone call from a Democratic bigwig, after PP lied to Alderman Lynda Elmore stating they weren't "sure who the tenant will be" after building a medical office with 13 recovery rooms (more recovery rooms than area hospitals).

    Super Tuesday at Aurora City Hall 2009

  • It doesn't matter whether you are religious or not or have an opinion about abortion even if you don't give a crap about what goes on at PP, the Aurora city council just spoke volumes about whether PP really "snuck" into Aurora with this vote and with Sieben being sent away so he could not answer any questions about the zoning violations.

    Aurora's Zoning Administrator AWOL and/or Taken to Undislcosed Location; Aurora City Council Votes 7-3 to Support Planned Parenthood Expansion 2009

  • It wasn't supposed to have a plot, but well, one kind of snuck in there anyway.

    The Boundaries of Consent (1/3) amberfocus 2008

  • It wasn't supposed to have a plot, but well, one kind of snuck in there anyway.

    The Boundaries of Consent (1/3) amberfocus 2008

Comments

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  • past tense of sneak. Merriam-Webster says it's acceptable, but I took it out of a text today anyway. At least an ancillary reason, besides its vaguely obscene sound, is that it was being used in reference to Booth's assassination of Lincoln.

    March 27, 2008

  • I use sneaked. Am I wrong?

    March 27, 2008

  • Booth snuck?

    March 27, 2008

  • I prefer "Booth snuck up on Lincoln" over "Booth sneaked up on Lincoln".

    March 28, 2008

  • No, yarb, it listed "sneaked" first and "snuck" as an acceptable alternative. "Sneaked" certainly sounds more formal and therefore perhaps more correct. But as I said, in this case... either one is just... ick.

    March 28, 2008

  • I also prefer sneaky over snucky.

    March 28, 2008

  • snuck = yuck.

    August 12, 2008

  • Which is correct: snuck or sneaked?

    Snuck is used in American and Canadian English as the past tense and past participle of sneak, but it is considered non-standard, i.e., ol for dialectal and informal speech and writing. The standard past tense is sneaked. Snuck is relatively new, an Americanism introduced in the late 19th century. The opposite has occurred to the past form of slink. Slunk was long the standard form, but then slinked appeared and is encroaching on slunk. Slinked is considered non-standard. Style guides at some of the biggest newspapers in Canada and the United States - including the Globe and Mail (1998) and the New York Times (1999) - ban snuck. But snuck may tiptoe into more formal writing over the years.

    http://dictionary.reference.com/help/faq/language/g08.html

    January 26, 2012

  • a funny video about Jennifer Gardner correcting Conan O'Brien that sunck isn't a correct word only to be shot back by Conan:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q51ld-scMI8&feature=related

    January 26, 2012