Synonyms of sniff

sniff 1 of 2

noun

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scent
• smell
• aroma
• stench
• fragrance
• whiff
• odor
• redolence
• perfume
• fragrancy
• attar
• savor
• stink
• funk
• musk
• bouquet
• rankness
• rancidity
• malodor
• reek
• spice
• lusciousness
• fetor
• tang
• incense
• ambrosia
• aromaticity
• foulness
• savoriness
• fetidness
• gaminess
• noisomeness
• odorousness
• acridness
• odoriferousness

sniff

2 of 2

verb

ˈsnif 

as in to smell

to become aware of by means of the sense organs in the nose

a curious cat sniffing the flowers in the garden

Synonyms & Similar Words

• smell
• inhale
• whiff
• snuff
• scent
• nose
• breathe
• drink (in)
• snort
• respire
• snuffle
• savor

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sniff

Noun

United could barely get a sniff of the ball and many stereotypes about the two managers’ contrasting styles of play ended up bearing out. — Sam Lee, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Every sniff and sip unlocks a new avenue of flavor, from sugary sweets to citrus to orchard fruit to earthiness and herbal spice. — Chris Perugini, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Verb

Eventually, Bird’s film — with a script co-written by Matthew Robbins — gets to the meat of the action when Venus’ extremely complicated life runs smack into Ray and his knack for sniffing out bad guys. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2026

As wildlife biologist Christina Aiello searches for droppings of bighorn sheep, which are relatively abundant, the dog duo from Rogue Detection Teams will sniff out harder-to-find bobcat and mountain lion scat. — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Phrases Containing sniff

• sniff (at)