sneeze

play

verb \ ˈsnēz \

Definition of sneeze

sneezed; sneezing

intransitive verb

:to make a sudden violent spasmodic audible expiration of breath through the nose and mouth especially as a reflex act

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sneezer

noun

— sneeze at

:to make light of

the cost was nothing to sneeze at

See sneeze defined for English-language learners

See sneeze defined for kids

Examples of sneeze in a Sentence

She was constantly sneezing and coughing.

Recent Examples of sneeze from the Web

The NFL and the Kardashians are to this republic what circuses were to the Roman one, and for all the philosophers’ sneering, bread and circuses are nothing to sneeze at.

— kevin d. williamson, National Review, "A Little Diversity," 27 Aug. 2017
Umpiring is hard, underappreciated work, and compared to players, the officials don’t make much money—somewhere between $120,000 and $350,000 depending on seniority (nothing to sneeze at, but the average major leaguer makes over $4 million).

— emma span, SI.com, "MLB Umpires' Protest Against Verbal Attacks Unlikely to Garner Much Sympathy," 20 Aug. 2017
By our calculations, Clarke could raise more than that for his campaign committee just by sneezing in a developer’s general direction.

— phillyclout team, Philly.com, "Clout: Move over, Mix Master Mike Nutter, DJ Darrell Clarke has arrived," 18 Aug. 2017
And the high calorie price tags are nothing to sneeze at either.

— lisa lillien, PEOPLE.com, "Hungry Girl: How to Make Delicious Iced Coffee at Home," 31 July 2017
Researchers can even isolate the microbes spewed on manuscripts when people kissed, coughed, or sneezed.

— giorgia guglielmi, Science | AAAS, "Top stories: The fate of the Canaanites, lava’s likely origins, and the hidden history of old books," 28 July 2017
A $1.8 million selling price is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but the bag was actually a bit of a steal.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Apollo 11 Moon Rock Bag Sells for $1.8 Million in Controversial Auction," 22 July 2017
The virus spreads through direct contact; coughing, barking and sneezing; contaminated objects; and people moving between infected and noninfected animals.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "Highly contagious dog flu outbreak reaches Louisville Metro Animal Services," 14 July 2017
Billions of people have watched both videos via YouTube (and let’s be real — coming in second place here is nothing to sneeze at).

— kara nesvig, Teen Vogue, "Charlie Puth, Wiz Khalifa Duet "See You Again" Becomes Most-Viewed YouTube Video," 11 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sneeze.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sneeze

Middle English snesen, alteration of fnesen, from Old English fnēosan; akin to Middle High German pfnūsen to snort, sneeze, Greek pnein to breathe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

sneeze

noun

Definition of sneeze

:an act or instance of sneezing

Recent Examples of sneeze from the Web

Diana was famous before the internet, famous before millions of iPhones began to capture every sneeze of every celebrity pushing her cart in a Whole Foods parking lot.

— katherine rosman, New York Times, "20 Years After Diana’s Death, a Happier Ending Imagined," 19 Aug. 2017
Citations from April inspections include bread rolls at a buffet without a sneeze shield, ice scoop handles touching ice and an employee contacting ready-to-eat sandwich items with bare hands.

— tanner walters, SI.com, "2017 MLB Ballpark Food Safety Rankings," 9 Aug. 2017
The highly infectious virus can linger in the air for hours after a cough or sneeze.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "Study: US is slipping toward measles being endemic once again," 25 July 2017
But a sneeze changed their plans, resulting in perhaps the greatest (and most terrifying) selfie fail of all time.

— sophie hirsh, Allure, "This Selfie Fail Makes the Subject Look Like a Two-Headed Monster," 10 July 2017
But a sneeze changed their plans, resulting in perhaps the greatest (and most terrifying) selfie fail of all time.

— sophie hirsh, Teen Vogue, "This Selfie Fail Makes the Subject Look Like a Two-Headed Monster," 10 July 2017
Vieira’s mother, Mary Elsie Rosa, suffered from osteoporosis, a bone disease that causes bones to become weak and susceptible to breaks from a fall or, in severe cases, a sneeze or minor bump.

— Fox News, "Meredith Vieira speaks out on 'silent' bone disease," 29 June 2017
His face is so fragile that even the slightest cough or sneeze causes great discomfort.

— marcos bretón, sacbee, "He ran every day for the past 37 years. A senseless act of violence just ended his streak," 23 June 2017
But attention quickly gets shifted to the take-out counter and the little pans of shimmering, cut fish and other poké accoutrements displayed behind a glass sneeze-guard.

— james patrick kelly, idahostatesman, "Prodding for poké: New restaurants specialize in Hawaiian fish dish," 22 June 2017

First Known Use of sneeze

1646

SNEEZE Defined for English Language Learners

sneeze

play

verb

Definition of sneeze for English Language Learners

: to suddenly force air out through your nose and mouth with a usually loud noise because your body is reacting to dust, a sickness, etc.

SNEEZE Defined for Kids

sneeze

play

verb \ ˈsnēz \

Definition of sneeze for Students

sneezed; sneezing

:to force the breath out in a sudden and noisy way

sneeze

noun

Definition of sneeze for Students

:an act or instance of sneezing

Medical Dictionary

sneeze

play

intransitive verb \ ˈsnēz \

medical Definition of sneeze

sneezed; sneezing

:to make a sudden violent spasmodic audible expiration of breath through the nose and mouth especially as a reflex act following irritation of the nasal mucous membrane