snuck out

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitiveinformalAmerican

   Left a place quietly and secretly, especially without permission.

   Grammar: No object; often followed by 'of' plus a place: snuck out of the house.

   Patterns

   • snuck out of something
   • snuck out to do something

   He snuck out of the house after midnight to meet his friends.

   She snuck out of the meeting early and hoped no one noticed.

   They snuck out through the back door so the dog wouldn't bark.

2. 2verbintransitiveinformalAmerican

   Moved out of a place slowly and quietly so as not to be seen or heard.

   Grammar: No object; the focus is on quiet movement rather than on doing something forbidden.

   Patterns

   • snuck out of something
   • snuck out quietly

   The cat snuck out of the room while we were watching TV.

   I snuck out of the party without saying goodbye to anyone.

Word forms

Common combinations

snuck out of the house

He snuck out of the house while his parents were asleep.

snuck out the back door

We snuck out the back door to avoid the reporters.

snuck out early

She snuck out early to catch the last train.

snuck out to meet someone

He snuck out to meet his girlfriend at the park.

Synonyms and how they differ

slipped out

Slipped out suggests leaving quickly and quietly, but it does not always suggest doing something wrong or forbidden.

crept out

Crept out emphasizes slow, careful movement; snuck out often adds the idea of avoiding permission or detection.

sneaked out

This is the usual British past form; snuck out is more common in American English.

Opposites

Word family

sneak verb

To move quietly and secretly.

sneaky adjective

Behaving in a secret or dishonest way.

sneakily adverb

In a secret or dishonest way.

Commonly confused: snuck out or snack out?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “snuck out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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