as in scent
the quality of a thing that makes it perceptible to the sense organs in the nose
we took a good sniff of the sauce, trying to guess its ingredients
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sniff
CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
When Cody the golden retriever was introduced to his new sibling, his owner probably would have hoped for some happy tail wags and some curious sniffs to show his curiosity.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
One worker joined the FBI and made a career in counterintelligence, sniffing out Chinese spies.
—Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sniff
Noun
It's followed by a pet horse, Cricket, which gives a couch a good sniff.
—CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
When Cody the golden retriever was introduced to his new sibling, his owner probably would have hoped for some happy tail wags and some curious sniffs to show his curiosity.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
McDermott brought legitimacy to an organization that had not sniffed a playoff.
—Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
One worker joined the FBI and made a career in counterintelligence, sniffing out Chinese spies.
—Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sniff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sniff
Noun
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Poor Hygiene Ever been on a plane and caught a foul scent?—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Jan. 2026
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It’s billed to bridge wellness, scent and self-expression.—
Jennifer Weil,
Footwear News,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The best hair perfumes can make your strands smell as good as the rest of you, without committing to a full wash day.—
Andrea Navarro,
Glamour,
29 Jan. 2026
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Near the end of her speech, a man in the front row jumped up and ran towards her before spraying her shirt with a syringe of an unknown, strong-smelling substance, according to C-SPAN footage.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Not to mention, the subtle rosemary and mint scent will fill your shower with a spa-like aroma.—
Melony Forcier,
InStyle,
29 Jan. 2026
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The flavorful new option is made by infusing the clean taste of Absolut vodka with the heat and aroma that comes from the peppers used to make the South’s most famous hot sauce.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That means that, for 20 years, as the real ambulances would idle on set, the crew and actors would be inhaling the diesel fumes that being emitted from the loud, life-saving vehicles.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Jan. 2026
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For decades the capital had worked like a slowly exploding atom bomb, inhaling poor Filipinos from the provinces and spitting them into distant suburbs, transforming rural barangays into slums of concrete and zinc.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sniff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sniff. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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