snoop

1 of 2

verb

snooped; snooping; snoops

intransitive verb

: to look or pry especially in a sneaking or meddlesome manner
snooper noun

snoop

2 of 2

noun

: one that snoops

Examples of snoop in a Sentence

Verb She locks up her diary to keep her brother from snooping. Government agencies have been snooping on them for years. She doesn't want reporters snooping into her personal life. Noun No, I didn't read your e-mail. I'm no snoop. We had a snoop around their apartment.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Hiding the weapon isn’t enough, some said, because curious kids will go snooping for it. Lauren Del Valle, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 There have been significant arrests in some countries, and the authorities have disrupted gangs by hacking their servers and snooping on their conversations. Joseph Menn, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Not everyone who gets recorded knows they’re being watched, and the temptation to snoop can be strong. Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024 So, Chua started snooping, setting up fake Insta handles to query the sellers on that platform. Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2024 In Italy, Meta got rid of hundreds of fake personas on Facebook and Instagram after finding out spyware companies were using them to snoop on journalists and activists. Cio, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 Barely forty-eight hours passed before journalists started to snoop into her background, delighted to find a factory worker in Wales named William Patrick O’Callaghan. Hazlitt, 31 Jan. 2024 When Allison tries to snoop through Winifred's beloved spell book, Binx prevents her from opening it by promptly pouncing on the cover. EW.com, 24 Oct. 2023 This is far from the first time the Indian government has been accused of snooping on critics. Joseph Menn, Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2023
Noun
Scores of security guards keep the homeless, the snoops and the patent-stealers at bay, while the dealmakers pack into the cramped Westin St. Francis hotel and its surrounds to meet with cash-hungry executives from biotech and other health care companies. Molly Castle Work and Arthur Allen, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2024 The concern is that governments, criminals, or other snoops can manipulate the weaknesses in these handoff communications to track device locations. WIRED, 28 Oct. 2023 Step away from your computer creates an opportunity for hackers, crooks, or simply nosy people with nothing better to do than snoop. Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2023 Schon allegedly hired off-duty police officers to guard his dressing room during performances and, at one tour stop, had an assistant snoop around Cain’s room. Vulture, 2 Mar. 2023 Don’t read their text messages or snoop behind their back. Danielle Fox, Seventeen, 15 Feb. 2023 Here’s how to know if a hacker or snoop is already in your smartphone. Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2022 The first is a snoop named Miriam Lewis, who lives on an adjacent houseboat. Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2021 The snoop has now seen the entire message, spying it in all its glory and while in plaintext. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 June 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snoop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Dutch snoepen to buy or eat on the sly; akin to Dutch snappen to snap

First Known Use

Verb

1832, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of snoop was in 1832

Dictionary Entries Near snoop

Cite this Entry

“Snoop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snoop. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

snoop

1 of 2 verb
: to look or search especially in a sneaking or meddlesome manner
snooper noun

snoop

2 of 2 noun
: one that snoops

More from Merriam-Webster on snoop

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!