snoop
/snuːp/ (bre, ipa) · /snuːp/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsnüp/ (ame, mw)
snoop — verb
- snooppresent simple I / you / we / they
- snoopshe / she / it
- snoopedpast simple
- snooping-ing form
1. to move quietly through a place where you are not welcome, hoping to spot or lea
to move quietly through a place where you are not welcome, hoping to spot or learn something you are not meant to know
Christopher caught the new intern snooping around his desk after hours.
snoop around + [place] for secret searching
The cat burglar snooped through every drawer in the dark bedroom.
snoop through + [container]
Reporters snooped near the actor's villa, hoping for a photo of the wedding.
Élise hated the way her neighbours snooped over the garden fence.
Someone had clearly been snooping in the office files during the weekend.
- pry
stronger sense of forcing into something hidden
- nose around
informal, lighter and more playful than snoop
- poke around
casual searching, less clearly forbidden
文法句型
snoop around [place]
snoop in/through [container]
用法筆記
Almost always intransitive and paired with a place word ('around', 'in', 'through'). Carries a disapproving tone — the searcher has no right to be there.
常見錯誤
2. to dig into the personal matters of others, such as their messages or relationsh
to dig into the personal matters of others, such as their messages or relationships, when those things are none of your business
Rania felt sick when she learned her boss had been snooping on her texts.
snoop on + [person]
Indra accused the gossip columnist of snooping into his family's money troubles.
snoop into + [private affairs]
Stop snooping on your sister and let her keep her diary private.
The landlord was caught snooping into which tenants paid their rent late.
Sofia worried that the app was quietly snooping on everyone's browsing habits.
- respect someone's privacy
the opposite behaviour
文法句型
snoop on [someone]
snoop into [someone's affairs]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: here the focus is the private life of a specific person, not searching a physical place. Typically takes 'on someone' or 'into something'.
常見錯誤
snoop — noun
- snoopsingular
- snoopsplural
1. an occasion when you quietly look through a place or someone's things to learn w
an occasion when you quietly look through a place or someone's things to learn what you are not supposed to know
Zuri had a quick snoop around the empty flat before the agent arrived.
have a snoop around + [place]
While the host fetched drinks, Tara took a cheeky snoop through the photo albums.
A quick snoop in the fridge told Paul exactly what his flatmates had eaten.
The children begged for a snoop inside the locked attic room.
文法句型
have a snoop (around)
用法筆記
Usually appears as 'have/take a snoop', most often in British English. Refers to the action itself, not the person doing it (contrast sense noun/2).
2. a person who keeps trying to learn the secrets and private business of other peo
a person who keeps trying to learn the secrets and private business of other people
Yael called her younger brother a little snoop after he read her letters.
call someone a snoop
Everyone on the street knew the corner shopkeeper was a terrible snoop.
Yuki kept her diary hidden because her roommate was such a snoop.
The office snoop always seemed to know who had been crying in the break room.
- busybody
someone who interferes, slightly broader than just prying
- snooper
near-identical, slightly more formal
- nosy parker
British informal for a prying person
文法句型
be a snoop
用法筆記
Refers to the person, not the act (contrast noun/1). Often softened with 'little' or sharpened with 'terrible' to signal mild or strong annoyance.