SNUFFING Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

snuffing

verb

present participle of snuff

as in sniffing

to become aware of by means of the sense organs in the nose the dog began barking as soon as she snuffed the scent of squirrel

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in murdering

to put to death deliberately the proprietor of the boarding house had apparently snuffed almost 50 old men before she was caught

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of snuffing The defense rested its case on Thursday in the death penalty case of Alberto Sierra, who admitted to snuffing the lives of his estranged wife and her two young daughters with a plastic bag. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 What seemed to matter most to Murphy was snuffing out a political star in formation, Bronin. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026 When Rhaenyra learns Helaena jumped to her death at the episode’s conclusion, Rhaenyra shuts the window, snuffing out the last of her compassion for her father’s other children. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 Indeed, snuffing out that insect’s life may have strengthened her sense of belonging. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 Quiet season expected due to El Niño's impacts Forecasts for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season were mostly below-normal due to the storm-snuffing impacts of El Niño. — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 22 July 2026 Holding it all together is the irrepressible Rodri, sweeping up loose balls and snuffing out counter-attacks with a positional awareness few central midfielders match. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 20 July 2026 Another method is to cut off oxygen to the fire by using a snuffing lid, then let the fire burn out naturally. — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 4 July 2026 The lead secured, Switzerland shifted to a five-man midfield out of possession, snuffing out the space and challenging the Algerians to play through it, but Petkovic’s charges struggled to break their opponents down. — Reuters, NBC news, 3 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for snuffing

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
In the doorframe was the manager, sniffing around, suspicions aroused.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of sniffing

Verb

On Monday, Mackenzie was convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult alongside 28 leaders of his cult.

— Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2026
The leader of a Kenyan doomsday cult linked to more than 400 deaths was convicted Monday of murdering 190 children and one adult after ordering followers to starve themselves to death to meet Jesus.

— Evelyne Musambi, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of murdering

Verb

As the weather warmed, a co-worker mentioned smelling a strong odor coming from near Zelich's car.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
These shoes even boast a moisture-wicking, anti-odor sock liner to keep them—and your feet—smelling fresh, even after hours of sightseeing.

— Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of smelling

Verb

Washington hoped that assassinating Khamenei would prompt a mass antigovernment uprising.

— Narges Bajoghli, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk, will stand trial after a Utah judge ruled Tuesday that prosecutors presented enough evidence to move forward on all seven charges against him.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of assassinating

Verb

But some people abuse it by inhaling it to feel relaxed or euphoric.

— Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026
Tottenham attempted to offload Bissouma last summer, and the club later initiated another internal investigation after an image leaked of Bissouma inhaling nitrous oxide from a balloon again.

— Colin Millar, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of inhaling

Verb

Widdecombe’s slaying renewed concerns over security for politicians, which has been tightened in the past decade after two lawmakers were murdered.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
Elsewhere, Zach Cregger’s fresh take on the Resident Evil franchise continues slaying in its third week in theaters.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of slaying

Verb

The next steps include executing on a vendor contract with Site Stream LLC, the city said the contract is currently under final legal review and will be signed soon.

— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
Traditional CPUs excel at sequential computing tasks, such as calculating a massive spreadsheet or running a precise physics simulation, as these often require executing steps in strict order at blazing speeds.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of executing

Verb

Authorities are investigating what led a 16-year-old shooter to force entry into his former elementary school in Bend, Oregon, and fire into a special needs classroom on Thursday, killing three children and a young teacher.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Over the next seven years, Saudi Arabia carried out waves of airstrikes against the Houthis, often killing civilians.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026