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.

• IPA^(key): /snuːp/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• enPR: sno͞op
• Rhymes: -uːp

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.

3. (UK, slang, dated) To steal.
   • 1956, Charles Hamilton, The Banishing of Billy Bunter

     'What on earth do Coker and his parcel of tuck matter to us? You're not thinking of snooping his tuck, I suppose, like Bunter.'

• snoop around

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.

   • 1992 February 2, Mitzel, “Clay Shaw, The Quean Network & That Kennedy Killing”, in Gay Community News, volume 19, number 28, page 12:

     Garrison's snoops regularly stole Kirkwood's mail while he was in New Orleans—only a federal offense.

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

• Poons, no-ops, opson, poons, spoon