snoop

English

Etymology

From Dutch snoepen (“to pry, eat in secret, sneak”). Related to Dutch and Low German snappen (“to bite, seize”), Dutch snavel (“beak, bill, pecker, neb”), German Schnabel (“beak, bill, mouth”). More at snap.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /snuːp/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• enPR: sno͞op
• Rhymes: -uːp

Verb

snoop (third-person singular simple present snoops, present participle snooping, simple past and past participle snooped)

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.

Related terms

• snoop around

Translations

to be devious and cunning so as not to be seen

• Finnish: hiippailla (fi)
• French: espionner (fr)
• German: spionieren (de)
• Portuguese: bisbilhotar (pt)
• Russian: высле́живать (ru) impf (vysléživatʹ), вы́следить (ru) pf (výsleditʹ), выню́хивать (ru) impf (vynjúxivatʹ), вы́нюхать (ru) (výnjuxatʹ), шпио́нить (ru) pf (špiónitʹ)
• Spanish: disimulado (es) m
• Turkish: ispiyonlamak (tr), gizlice aramak

to secretly spy on or investigate, especially into the private personal life of others

• Arabic: تَجَسَّسَ‎ (tajassasa)
• Bulgarian: слухтя (bg) (sluhtja), подслушвам (bg) (podslušvam)
• Catalan: tafanejar (ca), espiar (ca)
• Czech: čmuchat (cs) impf, slídit impf, šmejdit impf
• Finnish: nuuskia (fi), urkkia (fi)
• French: espionner (fr), fouiner (fr) (informal)
• German: spionieren (de), schnüffeln (de)
• Maori: mahi huna
• Polish: węszyć (pl) impf, szpiegować (pl) impf
• Portuguese: espionar (pt)
• Russian: высле́живать (ru) impf (vysléživatʹ), вы́следить (ru) pf (výsleditʹ), выню́хивать (ru) impf (vynjúxivatʹ), вы́нюхать (ru) pf (výnjuxatʹ), шпио́нить (ru) pf (špiónitʹ)
• Spanish: fisgonear (es), espiar (es), husmear (es)
• Swedish: spionera (sv)
• Turkish: ispiyonlamak (tr), gizlice aramak

Noun

snoop (plural snoops)

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.

Translations

the act of snooping

• Bulgarian: слухтене n (sluhtene), подслушване n (podslušvane)
• Catalan: dotoreig m
• Finnish: nuuskiminen, urkinta (fi)
• French: enquête (fr), investigation (fr)
• German: Schnüffeln n
• Russian: подсма́тривание (ru) n (podsmátrivanije) (peeping), подгля́дывание (ru) n (podgljádyvanije) (peeping), сле́жка (ru) f (sléžka) (shadowing)
• Spanish: husmear (es), fisgar (es)
• Swedish: snokande (sv) n
• Turkish: araştırma (tr)

one who snoops

• Catalan: dotor (ca) m
• Finnish: nuuskija (fi), urkkija (fi)
• French: fouine (fr)
• German: Schnüffler (de) m, Schnüfflerin f
• Russian: стука́ч (ru) m (stukáč), стука́чка (ru) f (stukáčka) (snitch, stooge), ище́йка (ru) f (iščéjka) (sleuth)
• Turkish: araştırıcı (tr)

a private detective

• Bulgarian: частен детектив m (časten detektiv)
• Finnish: yksityisetsivä (fi)
• French: détective privé (fr)
• German: Schnüffler (de) m, Privatdetektiv m
• Italian: (slang) segugio (it) m
• Russian: ча́стный детекти́в m (částnyj dɛtɛktív), детекти́в (ru) m (dɛtɛktív), сы́щик (ru) m (sýščik), сы́щица (ru) f (sýščica), ище́йка (ru) f (iščéjka) (sleuth)
• Spanish: detective (es) m or f
• Swedish: snok (sv) c
• Turkish: hafiye (tr)

References

• 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology, Oxford University Press, →ISBN

Anagrams

• Poons, no-ops, opson, poons, spoon