snoop
English
editEtymology
editFrom Dutch snoepen (“to pry, eat in secret, sneak”). Related to Dutch and Low German snappen (“to bite, seize”), Dutch snavel (“beak, bill, pecker, neb”), German Schnabel (“beak, bill, mouth”). More at snap.
Pronunciation
editVerb
editsnoop (third-person singular simple present snoops, present participle snooping, simple past and past participle snooped)
- To be devious and cunning so as not to be seen.
- To secretly spy on or investigate, especially into the private personal life of others.
- If I had not snooped on her, I wouldn't have found out that she lied about her degree.
Related terms
editTranslations
editto be devious and cunning so as not to be seen
|
to secretly spy on or investigate, especially into the private personal life of others
|
Noun
editsnoop (plural snoops)
- The act of snooping.
- One who snoops.
- Be careful what you say around Gene because he's the bosses' snoop.
- A private detective.
- She hired a snoop to find out if her husband was having an affair.
Translations
editthe act of snooping
|
one who snoops
a private detective
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References
edit- 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology, Oxford University Press, →ISBN
Anagrams
editCategories:
- English terms borrowed from Dutch
- English terms derived from Dutch
- English 1-syllable words
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- Rhymes:English/uːp
- Rhymes:English/uːp/1 syllable
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