sneak up

verb

Definition of sneak upnext
as in to creep up

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sneak up
  1. creep up
  2. turn up
  3. show up
  4. come
  5. arrive
Verb
  • That September-like chill will persist Wednesday before temperatures creep up a few more degrees, but still remain a bit cooler than normal on Thursday.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
  • As higher tariff rates continue to creep up, stagflation and even a recession become likelier, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told NBC News last week.
    — Rob Wile, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2025
Definition of creep up
Verb
  • Investigation, suspects, and theories A massive search failed to turn up Madeleine or produce any firm leads.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Diwali now sits in the top tier of Harrods’ cultural calendar, alongside Christmas, Spring Festival, Ramadan and Eid, and the retailer is investing across fashion, beauty, gifting and food to meet a customer who is turning up in growing numbers.
    — Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of turn up
Verb
  • But those voters who show up for midterms elect just as many members of Congress and fill just as many state legislative seats as voters in presidential years.
    — Ron Elving, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
  • That, Walczak stressed, would likely show up in higher rent payments.
    — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of show up
Verb
  • At meetings in 2014 and 2016, both of which came six days before elections, the Fed held steady.
    — Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Further announcements for the 2027 event will be due in the coming months.
    — Thomas Smith, Billboard, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of come
Verb
  • The area was briefly closed while officers waited for coroner’s officials to arrive.
    — Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
  • With a couple of hundred attendees expected, more than 2,000 people had arrived by the halfway point of the inaugural event, which was hosted by Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1714.
    — Nathaniel Levine, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrive
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

sneak thiefs
sneak up
sneaky
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Cite this Entry

“Sneak up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sneak%20up. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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