snuffle

verb

snuf·​fle ˈsnə-fəl How to pronounce snuffle (audio)
snuffled; snuffling ˈsnə-f(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce snuffle (audio)
Synonyms of snufflenext

intransitive verb

1
: to snuff or sniff usually audibly and repeatedly
2
: to breathe through an obstructed nose with a sniffing sound
3
: to speak through or as if through the nose : whine

transitive verb

: to seek or test by or as if by repeated sniffs
snuffler noun

Examples of snuffle in a Sentence

The child was snuffling in his room.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Howard, still half-asleep, makes snuffling, snoring noises, and looks blearily at the camera. Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025 Fava snuffled and dawdled and took her own sweet time up the sidewalk. Dan Kois, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025 In front of them, warthogs snuffled around in the grass. Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2025 Next to arrive is her disembodied trunk, with a mind of its own, snuffling out friends and enemies and food. Jesse Green, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Elephants are trampling the thirsty turf, sending sprays of dust into the dry savannah air, and buffalos are bent with their snuffling snouts to the ground. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2023 There is an amazing array of puzzles that require dogs to roll, shake, lick or snuffle a product to access food or treats. Melanie D.g. Kaplan, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2023 Two canines in Massachusetts are the first to be used by a law enforcement agency to snuffle the virus. David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 July 2021 Click for more > Clearly, this is no ordinary sea creature quietly snuffling the currents. IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2010

Word History

Etymology

akin to Dutch snuffelen to snuffle — more at snivel

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of snuffle was circa 1600

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snuffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snuffle. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

snuffle

1 of 2 verb
snuf·​fle ˈsnəf-əl How to pronounce snuffle (audio)
snuffled; snuffling -(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce snuffle (audio)
1
: to snuff or sniff usually loudly and over and over again
2
: to breathe through a partly blocked nose with a sniffing sound
3

snuffle

2 of 2 noun
: the sound made in snuffling

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