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Private vs Sneak - What's the difference?

private | sneak |

As adjectives the difference between private and sneak

is that private is belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group while sneak is in advance; before release to the general public.

As nouns the difference between private and sneak

is that private is the lowest rank of the army while sneak is one who sneaks; one who moves stealthily to acquire an item or information.

As a verb sneak is

to creep or go stealthily; to come or go while trying to avoid detection, as a person who does not wish to be seen.

private

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-14, author=(Jonathan Freedland)
  • , volume=189, issue=1, page=18, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Obama's once hip brand is now tainted , passage=Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.}}
  • Not in governmental office or employment.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-19, author=(Peter Wilby)
  • , volume=189, issue=6, page=30, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Finland spreads word on schools , passage=Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16.
  • Not publicly known; not open; secret.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
  • , chapter=20 citation , passage=The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen.
  • Protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded.
  • Intended only for the use of an individual, group, or organization.
  • Not accessible by the public.
  • Not traded by the public.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-22, volume=407, issue=8841, page=70, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Engineers of a different kind , passage=Private -equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster.}}
  • Secretive; reserved.
  • (US, of a room in a medical facility) Not shared with another patient.
  • Synonyms

    * (done in the view of others ): secluded * (intended only for one's own use ): personal * (not accessible by the public ):

    Antonyms

    * public

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The lowest rank of the army.
  • A soldier of the rank of private.
  • (in plural privates) A euphemistic term for the genitals.
  • (obsolete) A secret message; a personal unofficial communication.
  • (Shakespeare)
  • (obsolete) Personal interest; particular business.
  • * Ben Jonson
  • Nor must I be unmindful of my private .
  • (obsolete) Privacy; retirement.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Go off; I discard you; let me enjoy my private .
  • (obsolete) One not invested with a public office.
  • * Shakespeare
  • What have kings, that privates have not too?
  • A private lesson.
  • If you want to learn ballet, consider taking privates .

    Synonyms

    * (genitals) bits, private parts

    Derived terms

    * in private * privacy * private language * private parts * private property * private stock * public-private partnership

    Statistics

    * 1000 English basic words ----

    sneak

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who sneaks; one who moves stealthily to acquire an item or information.
  • My little brother is such a sneak - yesterday I caught him trying to look through my diary.
  • A cheat; a con artist; a trickster
  • I can't believe I gave that sneak $50 for a ticket when they were selling for $20 at the front gate.
  • An informer; a tell-tale.
  • (obsolete, cricket) A ball bowled so as to roll along the ground; a daisy-cutter
  • Verb

  • To creep or go stealthily; to come or go while trying to avoid detection, as a person who does not wish to be seen.
  • He decided to sneak into the kitchen for a second cookie while his mom was on the phone.
  • To take something stealthily without permission.
  • I went to sneak a chocolate but my dad caught me.
  • (dated) To hide, especially in a mean or cowardly manner.
  • * Wake
  • [Slander] sneaks its head.
  • (informal, especially with on) To inform an authority about another's misdemeanours; to tell tales; to grass.
  • If you sneak on me I'll bash you!

    Usage notes

    * The past and past participle snuck'' is primarily found in North American English, where it originated in the late 19th century as a dialectal form. It is still regarded as informal by some, but its use appears to be increasing in frequency and acceptability. It is occasionally found in British and Australian/Hiberno-English, too, though regarded as an American form. (See Oxford Dictionaries, ''The Cambridge Guide to English Usage'', ''Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary'', ''Webster's New World College Dictionary .) * To sneak'' (take) something is not the same as to ''steal'' something. In this sense, ''sneak'' typically implies trying to avoid a supervisor's or guardian's mild displeasure or mild discipline, while ''steal indicates a more serious action and often the person stealing does not know the owner of the item being stolen.

    Derived terms

    * sneaker * sneaky * sneakily * sneakiness * sneak peek * sneak preview * sneak thief * sneak away * sneak in * sneak off * sneak out * sneak up/sneak up on * sneak around

    Adjective

    (-)
  • In advance; before release to the general public.
  • The company gave us a sneak look at their new electronic devices.
  • In a stealthy or surreptitious manner.
  • I was able to get a sneak peek at the guest list.

    Derived terms

    * sneak peek * sneak preview