sneak up on
Catch off guard
To sneak up on someone is to approach them quietly and without their awareness, often to surprise or startle them: The cat sneaked up on the bird.
Figuratively, things sneak up on you when they arrive before you're ready—a deadline, a birthday, old age: Forty really sneaks up on you.
- tiptoeWalk on foot-fronts
- creep upApproach gradually, unnoticed
- blindsideSurprise with unexpected force
- stalkPlant's vertical support
- shadowLight blocked by object
catch off guard · creep · slink · waylay · pounce · snuck · skulk · ambush · slip · crouch · prowl · spy · lie in wait · lurk · element of surprise · startle · stealthy · hide