snoop

English edit

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.

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

To be devious and cunning so as not to be seen.
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.

to be devious and cunning so as not to be seen

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

snoop (plural snoops)

The act of snooping.
One who snoops.
Be careful what you say around Gene because he's the bosses' snoop.
A private detective.
She hired a snoop to find out if her husband was having an affair.

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)

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