Synonyms of sniffing

sniffing

verb

present participle of sniff

as in smelling

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

• smelling
• inhaling
• snuffing
• whiffing
• scenting
• nosing
• breathing
• snorting
• drinking (in)
• respiring
• snuffling
• savoring

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sniffing

Bedard doesn’t have a single top-six caliber linemate to play with and still is sniffing a point-per-game season. —Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026

There are people who are afraid, based on instinct or experience, and people who are allergic; people who cannot tolerate the crotch sniffing; people who simply believe that dogs, regardless of their position in the family, should not encroach on indoor space. —Rachel Sugar, Curbed, 8 Apr. 2026

And that’s just what’s been publicly advertised—a little snooping by my colleague Byron Hurd revealed that Costco’s also sniffing around Livonia, Michigan, as a potential place for a huge fuel station. —Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 8 Apr. 2026

In the first photo, the reality star’s cat can be seen sniffing her white water bottle with a gorgeous bowl of green fruits and a green-and-white bouquet of flowers filling the frame in the foreground. —Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026

So does Soderbergh’s camera, which begins sniffing and roving about the space like a dog unleashed. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026

At one of these gatherings trouble broke out over girls, glue-sniffing, and hassles caused by confusion over membership in the various branches of the organization. —Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026

Law enforcement arrived soon after and deduced the shot must have come from outside, potentially from an area 30 yards away where a firearm-sniffing dog alerted the following day. —Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026

But nearby residents had been told to stay indoors for a while, and city and county police, FBI agents, experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and an ATF bomb-sniffing dog were on the scene for hours. —ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026