snooper

snooper — noun

1. a person who secretly tries to learn about other people's private matters by wat

1.nounB2
Definition

a person who secretly tries to learn about other people's private matters by watching them, reading their messages, or listening to their conversations without their knowledge

Example

The elderly neighbour was a snooper who watched people from behind her curtains.

A snooper had opened Lakshmi's mail and read her personal letters before she noticed.

Common collocations
  • catch a snooper
  • spot a snooper
  • report a snooper
  • act as a snooper
  • snooper + watches/listens/follows
Synonyms
  • busybody

    more disapproving, with a focus on someone who meddles in others' affairs rather than just observing

  • peeping Tom

    specifically someone who watches others secretly, often for sexual reasons; narrower and more disturbing

  • snoop

    informal noun form of the same word, interchangeable in most contexts

  • meddler

    emphasises interfering or getting involved, not just watching from the sidelines

Grammar Patterns

usually singular when referring to a specific person

Usage Note

Frequently used to express disapproval; a snooper is typically seen as an annoying or untrustworthy person rather than a professional or criminal intruder.

Common Mistakes

A snooper is someone who works for the government collecting secrets.
A snooper is someone who pries into others' private affairs, not a professional spy.
A spy may work for a government or organisation, while a snooper is usually an ordinary person acting out of personal curiosity.

2. a branded vehicle with an extendable arm or platform that allows workers to reac

2.nounC1
Definition

a branded vehicle with an extendable arm or platform that allows workers to reach and inspect the underside of bridges for maintenance or repair work

Example

The city bought a snooper to inspect the old railway bridge after the earthquake.

Engineers used a snooper to examine cracks under the highway bridge at night.

collocation: use a snooper to examine/inspect

Common collocations
  • operate a snooper
  • use a snooper
  • drive a snooper
  • snooper's arm/platform
  • bridge inspection snooper
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

often used with the definite article 'the'

Usage Note

Originally a trademarked brand name for a specific bridge-inspection vehicle, but often used generically for any similar piece of equipment in bridge maintenance. Sense 2 is restricted to civil-engineering contexts and is very unlikely to appear in everyday conversation.

Common Mistakes

They drove a snooper to the supermarket.
The crew drove a snooper to the bridge for the inspection.
Snooper in this sense is only used for bridge maintenance vehicles, not for any vehicle with an extending part.

Word family

  • snoop
    verbB2
  • snoop
    nounC1
  • snooping
    adjectiveB2
  • snoopy
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Snooper, busybody, snoop, peeping Tom, and meddler all describe someone who intrudes on others' private matters, but with important differences. A snooper (the core sense) is someone who secretly gathers information about others by watching, listening, or reading private materials — the focus is on the secretive act of finding out. A busybody is more openly interfering, someone who involves themselves in other people's affairs and gives unwanted advice rather than just watching in secret. Snoop as a noun is informal and interchangeable with snooper in most everyday speech ('a nosy old snoop'). Peeping Tom is much narrower: it specifically refers to someone who secretly watches others, often for sexual gratification, and carries a stronger legal and moral condemnation. Meddler emphasises the act of interfering or tampering rather than observing. For everyday use, if someone is secretly watching neighbours and reading their mail, call them a snooper; if they are giving unsolicited advice about how to run other people's lives, call them a busybody.

snooper ↗busybodysnooppeeping Tommeddler

Etymology

DutchEnglish

Snooper comes from the verb snoop, which first appeared in English in the late 1700s. The verb probably came from Dutch snoepen — which originally meant 'to eat sweets in secret' and later developed the sense 'to pry or look around in a sneaky way.' The suffix -er, meaning 'a person who does something,' was added to create the noun: someone who snoops. The vehicle sense (mid-1900s) is a separate coinage: a company trademarked Snooper as a brand name for a bridge-inspection vehicle, playing on the idea of 'snooping around' under bridges to find hidden problems.