sniffer

noun

sniff·​er ˈsni-fər 

1

: one that sniffs: such as

a

: someone who sniffs a drug or other substance in order to become intoxicated

a cocaine/glue sniffer

b

or less commonly sniffer dog : a dog that is trained to recognize and follow scents especially for the purpose of locating people or contraband (such as illicit drugs and explosives)

2

informal : nose

Use your sniffer to detect unattractive or unhealthy odors.

—Susan DeBow

Examples of sniffer in a Sentence

Sniffers were brought in to search bags at the airport.

Recent Examples on the Web

Security operations were launched at airports in Prague, Copenhagen and Warsaw, with passengers at the last seeing the military and police sniffer dogs patrolling the tarmac. — Matteo Moschella, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2026

No suspicious objects were found in Tuesday's initial search of the cruise ship, the Crown Iris, by coast guard officers with a sniffer dog and a diver, and a specialist diving unit was on its way to conduct further checks, the coast guard said. — ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026

Search teams with sniffer dogs continued to look for victims on Thursday, a day after the collision in central Spain. — Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

Governments in the region launched a massive response, including traps, sniffer dogs, drone surveillance and most importantly, sterile flies. — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sniffer

• differ
• stiffer