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Glite Dictionary
to sneak out

to sneak out

125 3.7
To leave a place quietly so no one notices you
  • phrasal verb
  • /sniːk aʊt/
  • Informal
translation icon : salir a escondidas
  • How'd you manage to sneak out of the house?
  • sneak out of the house
  • sneak out at night

Examples

  • Now they would have to sneak out again at night, and that was a big risk.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • As soon as I could no longer hear his footsteps, I snuck out of the house like a madman.

    Academic text (2007)

  • We should sneak out the back.

    Shelby Oaks (2025)

  • You were trying to sneak out of here.

    The Postman (1997)

  • Just wait until your mom and dad are asleep and sneak out.

    The Quiet (2005)

  • Honey, why'd you sneak out of the house like that?

    Ezra (2024)

  • Don't sneak out of the office.

    Clueless (1995)

  • If we don't wanna get trapped, we should sneak out now.

    Trolls Band Together (2023)

  • And her parents didn't know she snuck out of the house.

    Scrooged (1988)

  • We made sure to wait until everyone was asleep before we decided to sneak out of the house.

Synonyms

to steal
vsto sneak out
193 4.3

Move quietly so people do not see or hear you

focuses on leaving a place rather than simply moving about quietly
to skip
vsto sneak out
  • Informal
147 3.7

To leave a place quickly and secretly to avoid trouble

emphasizes quiet unnoticed leaving rather than sudden escape to avoid trouble
to slip out
vsto sneak out
39 3.8

To leave a place quietly without anyone noticing

is the same but does not imply full disappearance or fading away
to sneak off
vsto sneak out
  • Informal
33 4.0

Leave a place quietly so others do not notice

has the same meaning and is used in identical situations
to slip away
vsto sneak out
32 3.4

To leave a place quietly without anyone noticing

emphasizes leaving a place quietly rather than general disappearing
to skip town
vsto sneak out
  • Informal
28 8.1

Leave a place suddenly and secretly to avoid trouble or debt

is the general quiet leaving idea and not specifically about fleeing town for debts
to sneak away
vsto sneak out
  • Informal
17 3.6

To leave a place quietly without being noticed

is the same meaning and applies in the same contexts
to duck out
vsto sneak out
  • Informal
12 7.2

To leave a place quickly and quietly to avoid something you should do

emphasizes quiet secret leaving rather than quick escape or duty avoidance
to abscond
vsto sneak out
  • Formal
11 8.5

To leave quickly and secretly with money or things to avoid being caught

describes quiet secret exit without implying criminal flight or theft
to steal away
vsto sneak out
4 6.3

To leave a meeting or party quietly so no one notices

has identical meaning and is used in the same situations
to decamp
vsto sneak out
4 8.5

To leave a place quickly and secretly to avoid being caught

is more about quiet unnoticed exit than urgent escape to avoid capture
to take a powder
vsto sneak out
  • Archaic
4 9.9

To leave a place suddenly without telling anyone to avoid trouble

is quieter and focuses on secret exit rather than sudden disappearance
to dip out
vsto sneak out
  • Informal
1 9.1

To leave a place quietly or suddenly without telling others

is the neutral term for quiet secret leaving rather than informal evasion
to absquatulate
vsto sneak out
  • Archaic
9.9

To leave a place quickly and secretly, often taking things or someone

is the quiet secret leaving without the added sense of taking others or things
to go on the mitch
vsto sneak out
  • Slang
9.9

To leave work or school suddenly to have secret fun instead of doing duties

is used for leaving quietly to avoid notice rather than for secret entertainment

How Secretly

to abscond
  • Formal
11 8.5
to slip out
39 3.8
to sneak out
  • Informal
125 3.7
to slink
16 6.7

Surface Forms

sneak out infinitive
sneaking out present participle
sneaks out third person singular
snuck out past
snuck out past participle

Morphology

sneak + out

The sense 'to leave quietly and secretly' is directly and transparently built from 'sneak' (to move without being noticed) + 'out' (away from the interior), so a learner who knows both words can infer the phrase meaning. This follows the regular verb+particle pattern in English (and similar constructions in other languages), making it readily comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Sneak out comes from the simple picture of the words sneak (move quietly) and out (go outside): imagine someone tiptoeing to a door and slipping out so no one hears them. That's why it means 'to leave a place quietly and secretly so that no one notices you'.