sniff

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verb \ ˈsnif \

Definition of sniff

intransitive verb

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

3 :snoop, nose

sniffed around for clues

transitive verb

1 a :to get the odor or scent of (something) with the nose :smell

sniffed the freshly baked cookies

dogs sniffing the ground

b :to inhale (something) through the nose :snort

sniffing cocaine

2 :to utter contemptuously

3 :to recognize or detect (something) by or as if by smelling —usually used with out

sniff out trouble

See sniff defined for English-language learners

See sniff defined for kids

Examples of sniff in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of sniff from the Web

Police dogs from three departments — Hartford, New Britain and the state police — sniffed for the man’s scent but were unable to find him, Perry said. .

— christine dempsey, courant.com, "Police: Man Fires Gun In City, Flees Cops In Chase Through Several Towns," 28 Aug. 2017
A $1.97 million profit in a third of a year, especially in a hotel’s first year, is nothing to sniff at.

— emily jane fox, The Hive, "Donald Trump, Swamp King, Is Officially Swimming in Washington Money," 11 Aug. 2017
Kids can sit at a picnic table, hang out in a little playhouse, stop to sniff the lemon verbena, peppermint or dill or watch hummingbirds at the bright red feeder.

— susan demar lafferty, Daily Southtown, "CASA's garden helps children in time of stress," 7 Aug. 2017
Mark Potash, whose son Mark Sturgis, 22, was killed, said Mr. Weintraub came to the family members, who for days had stood vigil while investigators, aided by cadaver-sniffing dogs, excavated a burial pit at a farm in Solebury Township.

— trip gabriel and alan blinder, New York Times, "After Grisly Killings in Pennsylvania, a Quick Deal to Spare Execution," 17 July 2017
The sound of someone sniffing from across the room distracts you.

— hannah boudreau, Howard County Times, "Local man with autism shows courage in joining team [Commentary]," 5 July 2017
Machine-learning algorithms can tell the difference by sniffing out correlations among the multiple variables that describe the showers.

— science news staff, Science | AAAS, "AI is changing how we do science. Get a glimpse," 5 July 2017
Heavily armed counterterrorism units will mingle among spectators, officers will have portable radiation detection devices and bomb-sniffing dogs, and officers will be stationed on rooftops to look out for any sign of trouble.

— CBS News, "U.S. celebrates Independence Day with fireworks, hot dog eating contest," 4 July 2017
Heavily armed counterterrorism units will mingle among spectators, officers will have portable radiation detection devices and bomb-sniffing dogs, and officers will be stationed on rooftops to look out for any sign of trouble.

— rebecca gibian, The Seattle Times, "US marks Independence Day with pomp, dazzle, hot dog contest," 3 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of sniff

Middle English

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

sniff Synonyms

Synonyms

nose, scent, smell, snuff, whiff

Related Words

breathe, drink (in), inhale, respire; snort, snuffle; savor (also savour)

sniff

noun

Definition of sniff

1 :an act or sound of sniffing

2 :a quantity that is sniffed

See sniff defined for English-language learners

Examples of sniff in a Sentence

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 of sniff from the Web

The company is printing materials for a customer that has a small scratch-and-sniff area being applied, according to the release.

— Aurora Beacon-News, "Scratch-and-sniff may cause stink around Geneva," 29 Aug. 2017
Midwest breweries are carving their own identity against the bitter West Coast IPAs and juicy Northeastern versions. Tasting notes: The first sniff is citrus.

— kathy flanigan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Keeping summer alive — one beer at a time," 16 Aug. 2017
We like Redken Pillow Proof Blow Dry Two Day Extender (its clean scent is touch-activated, like a scratch-and-sniff sticker).

— jessica chia, Allure, "The Best Hair-Care Routine, According to Your Hair Concern," 27 July 2017
Foden and co will be desperately hoping for a chance next season despite five high-profile signings already this summer - only Kelechi Iheanacho, Aleix Garcia and Tosin Adarabioyo saw any sniff of first team action last season.

— SI.com, "PL's Newest Feud Heats Up as Guardiola Responds to Neville's Comments About Man City's Youth Policy," 21 July 2017
Some walk by, while others pause to take a sniff or use the nearby tree for a back rub.

— casey smith, National Geographic, "This Year-Long Video of a Tree Is Surprisingly Action-Packed," 7 July 2017
His profile has never included a sniff of malicious play.

— steve rosenbloom, chicagotribune.com, "Anthony Rizzo should be suspended for that hit at the plate," 20 June 2017
Doty, a professor of otorhinolaryngology, invented the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), a 40-odor scratch-and-sniff test that has become the gold standard for diagnosing olfactory dysfunction.

— david noonan, Scientific American, "Smell Test May Sniff out Oncoming Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s," 12 June 2017
Once again, Channing Frye never got a sniff of action.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "NBA Finals 2017: Relentless Golden State takes 3-0 lead over Cleveland Cavaliers: Bill Livingston (photos)," 8 June 2017

First Known Use of sniff

1767

sniff Synonyms

Synonyms

aroma, odor, redolence, scent, smell

Related Words

whiff; attar (also otto), bouquet, fragrance, fragrancy, perfume; ambrosia, lusciousness, savor (also savour), savoriness, spice, tang; acridness, fetidness, fetor, foulness, funk, gaminess, malodor, noisomeness, rancidity, rankness, reek, stench, stink; aromaticity, odoriferousness, odorousness; incense, musk

SNIFF Defined for English Language Learners

sniff

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verb

Definition of sniff for English Language Learners

: to take air into your nose in short breaths that are loud enough to be heard
: to smell (something or someone) by putting your nose close to it and taking air in through your nose in short breaths
: to take (something, such as fumes or a drug) into your body by inhaling it through your nose in order to get intoxicated

sniff

noun

Definition of sniff for English Language Learners

: an act or the sound of drawing air into the nose especially in order to smell something or because you are sick or have been crying
: an expression of dislike or disapproval
: a small amount or sign of something