sneaker

[snee-ker] /ˈsni kər/

noun

a high or low shoe, usually of fabric such as canvas, with a rubber or synthetic sole.

one who sneaks; a sneak.

Origin

1590-1600; sneak + -er¹

Can be confused

sneaker, snicker.

Examples from the web for sneaker

Now the company wants a piece of the sneaker market.
sneaker waves are swells that strike quickly and are larger than expected.
Vans, the sneaker maker, cozies up to teens by building zippy skateboard parks.
The trick is to buy a sneaker that looks as cleanly designed as possible.
It has been a while since a sneaker looked so inspiring with high fashion.
sneaker waves are often preceded by a sudden lowering of the water level.
Unexpected large waves, called sneaker waves, can wash farther up the shore than expected.
The number of boxes received in each sneaker size is shown in the table below.
Really old sneakers are sent to a sneaker maker so the rubber can be removed and melted down for reuse.

Word Origin and History for sneaker

1590s, "one who sneaks," agent noun from sneak (v.). Meaning "rubber-soled shoe" is attested from 1895, American English; earlier sneak (1862), so called because the shoe was noiseless. See also plimsoll.

The night-officer is generally accustomed to wear a species of India-rubber shoes or goloshes on her feet. These are termed 'sneaks' by the women [of Brixton Prison]. ["Female Life in Prison," 1862]