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Glite Dictionary
🕵️ To enter secretly 🤫 To add quietly
to sneak in

to sneak in

23 3.4
To include something quietly so people do not notice
  • phrasal verb
  • /sniːk ɪn/
  • Informal
: colar
  • So either find a lady friend with a big purse to sneak in your store-bought candy, or just try out a free showing at an offbeat venue.
  • sneak in veggies
  • try to sneak in
  • let me sneak in

That's guilty pleasure reading and I sneak it in when I can.

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Examples

  • Tomorrow is a full day at work, and a packed evening afterwards as well, so I'll try to sneak some blogging in where I can.

    Blog text (2)

  • OK, so let me sneak in the constant term here.

  • I was just thinking that... that I need to sneak in a run.

    You Again (2010)

  • Hey... do you want to sneak in?

    Sleepover (2004)

  • My aim had been to boost confidence and sneak in reading practice in a fun way.

    Academic text (2010)

  • That's guilty pleasure reading and I sneak it in when I can.

    Gregory B. Sadler - That Philosophy Guy

  • But I did sneak in some Paleo-friendly chow while in town.

    Blog text (19)

  • Encore: I'm going to sneak in one more letter... one of our regular readers from Georgia.

    Blog text (2)

  • You can go to variety.com for that interview, but I had to sneak in a question about whether he wants to collaborate more with the Backstreet Boys.

  • I always try to sneak in a few extra vegetables when I make pasta sauce.

Synonyms

to sneak
vsto sneak in
851 2.8

To move or take something quietly so others do not notice

is used to include something casually without drawing attention rather than secret movement
to insert
vsto sneak in
249 3.5

To put something inside something else

is more specific about casual, unnoticed inclusion than the general act of putting something in
to throw in
vsto sneak in
  • Informal
63 3.8

Add a short comment during a conversation

is used for casual inclusion without drawing attention rather than as an interjection
to slip in
vsto sneak in
23 4.4

To add a small comment quietly to a conversation or text

is more casual and avoids attracting attention in normal conversation
to insinuate
vsto sneak in
10 7.4

To gradually join a group without being noticed

is more about casual, unnoticed inclusion rather than subtle social influence
to stick in
vsto sneak in
  • Informal
2 4.1

Quickly add a short remark into a talk or conversation

is used for casual inclusion without drawing attention in many contexts

Antonyms

to announce
∞ 1.5

To tell people officially about something, often in public

to highlight
301 3.3

To emphasize something so it stands out as important

How Casual

to slip in
23 4.4
to sneak in
  • Informal
23 3.4
to tack on
30 4.1

Surface Forms

sneak in infinitive
sneaked in past
sneaked in past participle
sneaking in present participle
sneaks in third person singular

Morphology

sneak + in

The meaning follows directly from combining 'sneak' (to move or act without being noticed) with 'in' (into/inside), so a learner who knows both words can infer 'to insert or enter secretly' or 'to include without drawing attention.' This verb + particle composition is a common, predictable pattern cross-linguistically, making the expression immediately understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Sneak in: The phrasal verb sneak in can also come from the idea of slipping a small thing quietly into something bigger, like tucking a joke into a speech or a note into a book. So, to sneak in something in this sense means 'to include or insert something without drawing attention'.