sniffed; sniffing; sniffs
1
a
: to inhale through the nose especially for smelling
sniffed at the flowers
b
: to take air into the nose in short audible breaths
She sniffed and wiped her nose.
2
: to show or express disdain or scorn
1
2
: to utter contemptuously
3
: to recognize or detect (something) by or as if by smelling
—usually used with out
sniff out trouble
Synonyms
Examples of sniff in a Sentence
Verb
She sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue.
She put perfume on her wrist and sniffed it.
The dog sniffed the carpet.
He held the flower up to his nose and sniffed.
“I guess you don't need my help,” she sniffed.
Noun
She said that she felt fine, but her sniffs and coughs told a different story.
“I refuse to answer that question,” she said with a sniff.
He wanted to avoid the slightest sniff of a scandal.
There was still a sniff of hope left for the team.
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
About 1,100 of those DHS dogs sniff bags and whatnot for the Transportation Security Administration, otherwise known as everyone’s airport security friend, the TSA.
—Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Cougars, who haven’t had a winning season in CCAA, meet Cal State Monterey Bay in first-place showdown; USD opens conference play against Saint Mary’s
Cal State San Marcos hasn’t sniffed success during its eight years in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2024
Dogs sniffed Austin’s Stateside Theater prior to the screening.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024
After Bravo girlie and Traitor Phaedra Parks had been banished in a highly emotional roundtable, Sandra embarked on a quest to sniff out the remaining traitor, immediately setting her sights on Kate (who is, in fact, a Traitor.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024
Audiences will always be able to sniff out bulls---.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024
Weber joined Season 2 of Peacock’s competition series as a Faithful, someone who is covertly working to sniff out the three Traitors within the cast and banish them out to take home the cash prize.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024
In New York state, the Office of the Attorney General also takes complaints about mortgage servicers to sniff out patterns of abuse, and offers free legal help through the Homeowner Protection Program.
—Jill Terreri Ramos, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2024
Doing the ol' sniff test reveals that the S8 doesn't get quite the level of dirt up from my floors as the rotating mop heads of other mopvacs.
—Anthony Karcz, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Boston never even got a sniff of single-digit temperatures this year, with a winter low of 14 degrees, a record for lack of deep cold.
—Seth Borenstein, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024
The rest of the Division I bracket fell into place without a sniff of an upset.
—Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024
The Most Mellow: Cinnamon Roll On first sniff, Magic Spoon’s Cinnamon Roll loops seemed hyper-sugared and blasted with sweetness.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 4 Jan. 2024
At the end of the day, the parents performed the sniff test to determine if the deodorant had effectively kept odors at bay.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 22 Feb. 2024
The All-Star Game has become a farce of a basketball game: guys chucking up shots from half-court and trying stupid dunks, all while not even a sniff of defense can be found.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2024
Elordi gave one of the candles a good sniff — and a slurp — during his recent appearance on The Tonight Show.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 21 Jan. 2024
Verb
The Sympathizer tells the story of a half-Vietnamese, half-French communist agent who infiltrates the South Vietnamese military and then embeds in California after the war, hoping to sniff out gestating plots upon his homeland.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
About 1,100 of those DHS dogs sniff bags and whatnot for the Transportation Security Administration, otherwise known as everyone’s airport security friend, the TSA.
—Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Cougars, who haven’t had a winning season in CCAA, meet Cal State Monterey Bay in first-place showdown; USD opens conference play against Saint Mary’s
Cal State San Marcos hasn’t sniffed success during its eight years in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2024
Dogs sniffed Austin’s Stateside Theater prior to the screening.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024
After Bravo girlie and Traitor Phaedra Parks had been banished in a highly emotional roundtable, Sandra embarked on a quest to sniff out the remaining traitor, immediately setting her sights on Kate (who is, in fact, a Traitor.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024
Audiences will always be able to sniff out bulls---.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024
Weber joined Season 2 of Peacock’s competition series as a Faithful, someone who is covertly working to sniff out the three Traitors within the cast and banish them out to take home the cash prize.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024
In New York state, the Office of the Attorney General also takes complaints about mortgage servicers to sniff out patterns of abuse, and offers free legal help through the Homeowner Protection Program.
—Jill Terreri Ramos, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
Noun
The championship window is slim and any sniff of roster incompatibility needs to be addressed ASAP.
—Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2024
Doing the ol' sniff test reveals that the S8 doesn't get quite the level of dirt up from my floors as the rotating mop heads of other mopvacs.
—Anthony Karcz, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Boston never even got a sniff of single-digit temperatures this year, with a winter low of 14 degrees, a record for lack of deep cold.
—Seth Borenstein, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024
The rest of the Division I bracket fell into place without a sniff of an upset.
—Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024
The Most Mellow: Cinnamon Roll On first sniff, Magic Spoon’s Cinnamon Roll loops seemed hyper-sugared and blasted with sweetness.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 4 Jan. 2024
At the end of the day, the parents performed the sniff test to determine if the deodorant had effectively kept odors at bay.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 22 Feb. 2024
The All-Star Game has become a farce of a basketball game: guys chucking up shots from half-court and trying stupid dunks, all while not even a sniff of defense can be found.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2024
Elordi gave one of the candles a good sniff — and a slurp — during his recent appearance on The Tonight Show.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 21 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sniff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sniff
Cite this Entry
“Sniff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sniff. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sniff
1 of 2 verb1
: to draw air into the nose in short breaths loud enough to be heard
sniffed at the cheese
2
: to show or express scorn
sniffed at simple jobs
3
: to smell or inhale by taking short breaths
sniff perfume
4
: to detect by or as if by smelling
sniff out trouble
sniffer
noun
sniff
2 of 2 noun1
: the act or sound of sniffing
2
: an odor or amount sniffed
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