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
Susan DeBowExamples of sniffer in a Sentence
Sniffers were brought in to search bags at the airport.
Recent Examples on the Web
Italian dog lovers expressed outrage this week after a police bloodhound, recognized for his work as a search-and-rescue sniffer dog, was killed.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 9 July 2025
In a sign that Pahlavi and his retinue take the regime threat seriously, on Monday French police made all journalists arrive an hour early and leave their bags in a courtyard for 10 minutes for investigation by a sniffer dog.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 25 June 2025
Malin + Goetz Tomato Candle: The tomato scent here was dialed back, according to our panel of sniffers.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 June 2025
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
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Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 9 July 2025
In a sign that Pahlavi and his retinue take the regime threat seriously, on Monday French police made all journalists arrive an hour early and leave their bags in a courtyard for 10 minutes for investigation by a sniffer dog.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 25 June 2025
Malin + Goetz Tomato Candle: The tomato scent here was dialed back, according to our panel of sniffers.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for sniffer
Cite this Entry
“Sniffer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sniffer. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
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