snoop
verbnounattested in dialogue
- //snuːp//
To be devious and cunning so as not to be seen.
verb
- 1
To be devious and cunning so as not to be seen.
- 2
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.
- 3
datedTo steal.
'What on earth do Coker and his parcel of tuck matter to us? You're not thinking of snooping his tuck, I suppose, like Bunter.'
Etymology
From Dutch snoepen (“to pry, eat in secret, sneak”) or maybe Old Norse snópa (“to idle about dismally”), or (“to use a blood found”). Related to Dutch and Low German snappen (“to bite, seize”), Dutch snavel (“beak, bill, pecker, neb”), German Schnabel (“beak, bill, mouth”). More at snap.
noun
- 1
The act of snooping.
- 2
One who snoops.
Be careful what you say around Gene because he's the bosses' snoop.
- 3
A private detective.
She hired a snoop to find out if her husband was having an affair.
Garrison's snoops regularly stole Kirkwood's mail while he was in New Orleans—only a federal offense.
Forms
- plural
- snoops
- past tense
- snooped
- past participle
- snooped
- present participle
- snooping
- third person singular
- snoops
snoop · To be devious and cunning so as not to be seen.
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