on the sly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The math-proficiency analysis suggests it may be doing so on the sly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025
We were forbidden to speak Urdu, but my mother still taught us on the sly.
From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
You started taking hormones kind of on the sly for a couple of weeks before you even talked to your wife.
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2023
She'd read around the subject, though, and Pemberton had sneaked her some clips on the sly.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2021
He spent his time reading Jaime’s books, which Blanca brought him on the sly, and listening to the street sounds and to the whisper of the radio, which he kept at the lowest volume.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
