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

Koby’s team of scientists can take a nugget of cannabis flower, drop it into their sniffer and in a few minutes print out data mapping every compound and the exact ratios of terpenes, ethyls, thiols, esters, aromatic alcohols, and aldehydes in that specific strain. —Will Yakowicz, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

Authorities have deployed a specialized urban search-and-rescue team to the scene, along with sniffer dogs, which said rescuers are still searching for up to 20 others believed to have been inside at the time of the blast, adding that parts of the site remain too dangerous to access. —Freddie Clayton, NBC News, 7 Dec. 2024

Related podcast Watching continents slowly break apart, and turbocharging robotic sniffers BY Sarah Crespi, Paul Voosen Podcast 07 Nov 2024 Botswana—Nearly all rivers flow into the sea. —Bypaul Voosen, science.org, 7 Nov. 2024

Once the sniffer rats had mastered their contraband-detecting behaviors in a laboratory setting, researchers took them out into the real world for a trial run. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sniffer

• differ
• stiffer