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
Calin Van Paris, Outside Online, 20 Mar. 2025
If the split area doesn't show signs of spoilage, give the banana a sniff.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 15 May 2025
Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2025
Another had a toothbrush made of animal bone and a snuff bottle, used for sniffing tobacco.
—CBS News, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sniff
Noun
Bo and its sister scent Reyes (the latter is available in candle form) were crafted to transport wearers to the bohemian enclave of Bolinas or the neighboring wilds of Point Reyes National Seashore with just a single sniff.
—Calin Van Paris, Outside Online, 20 Mar. 2025
If the split area doesn't show signs of spoilage, give the banana a sniff.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 15 May 2025
Verb
Communism was never discussed at meetings, but secret sympathies were difficult to sniff out.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2025
Another had a toothbrush made of animal bone and a snuff bottle, used for sniffing tobacco.
—CBS News, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sniff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sniff
Noun
-
Natural vapors coming from trees, like the monoterpenes that give pine trees their scent, produce aerosols and thus low-lying clouds that hover above forests.—
Max G. Levy,
Smithsonian Magazine,
26 June 2025
-
After a shower at the gym, this is my favorite scent to put on.—
Sara Coughlin,
SELF,
26 June 2025
Verb
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In late 2010, two people complained to the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, which handles grievances related to IFC projects, about water pollution, soil pollution and foul smells from the Santo Domingo facilities.—
Christine Ro,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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The rooms smelled of gas and damp, there was a box of matches to light the stove, an unfamiliar brand of liquid soap for washing dishes—that, too, my mother recalled with fondness.—
Jhumpa Lahiri,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
Fine, elegant bubbles carry lifted aromas of raspberry, red apple skin, and rose petal.—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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The smell of something simmering on the stove—garlic, ginger, soy, or even the aroma of roasted chicken or vegetables.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 June 2025
Verb
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The simulant particles are smaller than 2.5 microns (millionths of a meter), small enough to be inhaled and then trapped in the lower airways of the lungs.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
23 June 2025
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Chernobyl nuclear disaster altered the genetics of the dogs left behind, scientists say How does exposure to uranium affect the human body If ingested or inhaled, uranium hexafluoride gas -- in which each of the molecules has six fluorine atoms -- can cause kidney damage, Caffrey said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sniff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sniff. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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