moving quietly and secretly to avoid being noticed, or (as an adjective) done secretly or without being fully open about it.
From Middle Dutch or Scandinavian origins; related to words meaning 'to crawl' or 'to slink.' The verb has been used since around the 1500s to describe moving stealthily.
The word 'sneaking' is often paired with 'suspicion' in the phrase 'a sneaking suspicion'—meaning a feeling you have but haven't fully admitted to yourself, which shows how the word captures both physical stealth and emotional secrecy.
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