In this weekly post, we bring more useful content from the Macmillan Dictionary to English language learners. In this series of language tips to accompany the Real Vocabulary theme we look at how you can expand your vocabulary in English by using different words and expressions instead of core vocabulary items.
This set of language tips explores the words and phrases we use to describe movement. This week’s tip looks at verbs that mean walk quietly:
creep to walk slowly and without making any noise, because you don’t want people to hear or notice you:
- He crept out of his bedroom and down the stairs.
- I heard someone creeping about.
tiptoe to walk on your toes, so that no one will hear you:
- Sue tiptoed out of the room, turning off the lights as she went.
pad to walk quietly, especially when you have no shoes on:
- I got out of bed and padded across to the bathroom.
sneak to move somewhere quietly and secretly so that no one can see or hear you:
- She sneaked into the house by the back entrance.
The usual past tense of sneak is sneaked, but snuck is also used:
- He snuck up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder.
Did you know that Macmillan Dictionary includes a full thesaurus? This page lists more ways to say ‘move quietly‘.
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