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sneezed; sneezing
: to make a sudden violent spasmodic audible expiration of breath through the nose and mouth especially as a reflex act
sneezer
noun
Example Sentences
Verb
She was constantly sneezing and coughing.
Recent Examples on the Web
New York Times, 1 June 2021
Customers can sneeze or cough on the items or flout cocktail party etiquette and spear subsequent samples with the same toothpick.
—Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2020
The World Health Organization has recommended half that distance — and only when people are coughing or sneezing.
—Catherine Marfin, Dallas News, 5 May 2020
People should also avoid touching their faces and cover their mouths when sneezing or coughing.
—Nicole Chavez, CNN, 28 Mar. 2020
Health officials also offered these ways to prevent spreading a flu virus:
Cover your nose and mouth with tissue when sneezing or coughing.
—Terry Demio, Cincinnati.com, 13 Dec. 2019
Practice good hygiene: wash your hands with soap and water frequently, cough and sneeze into your elbow, avoid touching your face.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 5 Apr. 2020
Cough or sneeze into a tissue, and then throw it away.
—Zee Krstic, Good Housekeeping, 20 Mar. 2020
Using dress up, Brandon Bear at one point imagines himself a hero and along with Persona shows kids how to wash their hands and cover their mouths when coughing or sneeze into a tissue or elbow.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2020
Dallas News, 12 Aug. 2022
The spread of disease -- person to person, through a sneeze or a loud exclamation, or via an unwashed surface -- has been a hot topic of conversation in recent years.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2022
More rarely, droplets from a sneeze or cough of someone who has polio can infect someone else, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Erin Prater, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2022
An infected person can pass on RSV through a cough or sneeze.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 15 Nov. 2022
An infected person can pass on RSV through a cough or sneeze.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 15 Nov. 2022
Don’t shrug off that sneeze or scratch at the back of your throat.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Oct. 2022
More rarely, droplets from a sneeze or cough of someone who has polio can infect someone else, according to the CDC.
—Erin Prater, Fortune, 13 Sep. 2022
Patients generally get infected through the mouth, typically by hands contaminated with an infected person’s fecal matter, but the virus also can spread through an infected person’s sneeze or cough.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2022
See More
Verb
After measuring how quickly the elephant could use its trunk to suck up water, the researchers calculated that elephant noses could inhale at speeds exceeding 490 feet per second, or almost 30 times as fast as humans can sneeze out of ours.
—New York Times, 1 June 2021
Customers can sneeze or cough on the items or flout cocktail party etiquette and spear subsequent samples with the same toothpick.
—Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2020
The World Health Organization has recommended half that distance — and only when people are coughing or sneezing.
—Catherine Marfin, Dallas News, 5 May 2020
People should also avoid touching their faces and cover their mouths when sneezing or coughing.
—Nicole Chavez, CNN, 28 Mar. 2020
Health officials also offered these ways to prevent spreading a flu virus:
Cover your nose and mouth with tissue when sneezing or coughing.
—Terry Demio, Cincinnati.com, 13 Dec. 2019
Practice good hygiene: wash your hands with soap and water frequently, cough and sneeze into your elbow, avoid touching your face.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 5 Apr. 2020
Cough or sneeze into a tissue, and then throw it away.
—Zee Krstic, Good Housekeeping, 20 Mar. 2020
Using dress up, Brandon Bear at one point imagines himself a hero and along with Persona shows kids how to wash their hands and cover their mouths when coughing or sneeze into a tissue or elbow.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2020
Noun
Masks can contain droplets and particles when people breathe, cough or sneeze.
—Dallas News, 12 Aug. 2022
The spread of disease -- person to person, through a sneeze or a loud exclamation, or via an unwashed surface -- has been a hot topic of conversation in recent years.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2022
More rarely, droplets from a sneeze or cough of someone who has polio can infect someone else, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Erin Prater, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2022
An infected person can pass on RSV through a cough or sneeze.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 15 Nov. 2022
An infected person can pass on RSV through a cough or sneeze.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 15 Nov. 2022
Don’t shrug off that sneeze or scratch at the back of your throat.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Oct. 2022
More rarely, droplets from a sneeze or cough of someone who has polio can infect someone else, according to the CDC.
—Erin Prater, Fortune, 13 Sep. 2022
Patients generally get infected through the mouth, typically by hands contaminated with an infected person’s fecal matter, but the virus also can spread through an infected person’s sneeze or cough.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2022
See More
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.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English snesen, alteration of fnesen, from Old English fnēosan; akin to Middle High German pfnūsen to snort, sneeze, Greek pnein to breathe
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun
1646, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of sneeze was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing sneeze
Articles Related to sneeze
Dictionary Entries Near sneeze
Cite this Entry
“Sneeze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sneeze. Accessed 4 Feb. 2023.
Kids Definition
sneeze
verbˈsnēz
sneezed; sneezing
: to force the breath out through the nose or mouth in a sudden violent noisy action
sneeze
noun
sneezer
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on sneeze
Nglish: Translation of sneeze for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of sneeze for Arabic Speakers
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