sneeze

1 of 2

verb

sneezed; sneezing

intransitive verb

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

sneeze

2 of 2

noun

: an act or instance of sneezing
Phrases
sneeze at
informal : to make light of
always used in negative statements to indicate something that is important or deserves attention
… a red ribbon for second place is not to be sneezed at or scorned.Richard Peck
Perquisites and severance pay are nothing to sneeze at [=are significant]

Examples of sneeze in a Sentence

Verb She was constantly sneezing and coughing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
If Lost could be a hit by letting observant viewers piece things together on their own—or with thousands of their other observant pals online—ABC wasn’t going to sneeze at that. Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2024 Pet peeves: People sneezing around me and hearing people chew food. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 4 Sep. 2024
Noun
Close to $1,500 in savings isn't anything to sneeze at either. Gabriela Vatu, PCMAG, 13 Sep. 2024 Contagiousness: Highly contagious, spreads through respiratory droplets when a child talks, sneezes, or coughs. Brandi Jones, Msn-Ed Rn-Bc, Verywell Health, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sneeze 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sneeze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near sneeze

Cite this Entry

“Sneeze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sneeze. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

sneeze

verb
ˈsnēz
sneezed; sneezing
: to force the breath out through the nose or mouth in a sudden violent noisy action
sneeze noun
sneezer noun

Medical Definition

sneeze

1 of 2 intransitive verb
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

sneeze

2 of 2 noun
: an act or instance of sneezing

More from Merriam-Webster on sneeze

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