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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Recent Examples of sniff
Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
White wines will turn brown, and red wines change to a tawny or orange color.
Take a Whiff: Pour a glass and give it a sniff.
—Annie Peterson, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Feb. 2025
Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2025
The dog should be allowed to approach the child in their own time, to sniff and explore, and parents should ensure the puppy is comfortable before allowing your child to rub them.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sniff
Noun
The owner is committed to mediocrity as long as there is a sniff of two playoff home dates.
—Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
White wines will turn brown, and red wines change to a tawny or orange color.
Take a Whiff: Pour a glass and give it a sniff.
—Annie Peterson, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Feb. 2025
Verb
Next to me, people sniff small piles of cocaine from their acrylic nails.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2025
The dog should be allowed to approach the child in their own time, to sniff and explore, and parents should ensure the puppy is comfortable before allowing your child to rub them.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sniff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sniff
Noun
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My nightly shower regimen has turned into an everything shower, complete with subtle sea salt scents, scrubs, and body washes infused with nourishing and replenishing ingredients.—
Jessica Fields,
Essence,
8 May 2025
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One of the most challenging aspects of dealing with these beetles is that the feeding pests cause the affected plant to produce a volatile aromatic scent, which quickly attracts other beetles to the feast.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
7 May 2025
Verb
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Some smelled it, licked it, or took tiny nibbles around the edges.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2025
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That’s especially true in today’s highly supervised childhoods, where many young kids’ sights, smells, and tastes are entirely prescribed by adults.—
Faran Krentcil,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2025
Noun
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Pronounced aromas of charred oak, caramelized banana, vanilla bean, and fresh-baked cornbread are featured on the nose.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
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The sweet, earthy aroma after a late August rainstorm.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
17 May 2025
Verb
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As months and years of data arrived, Keeling’s rigorous work revealed two global phenomena: Earth’s plants inhaling CO2 each summer and exhaling it each winter, and CO2 levels’ unrelenting annual increase.—
Ashley Braun,
Smithsonian Magazine,
19 May 2025
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Workers who inhaled Teflon fumes developed flu-like symptoms.—
Mariah Blake,
The Atlantic,
5 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sniff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sniff. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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