sniff
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sniff
- /snɪf/ Australia, Canada, US
- /snəf/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɪf
Where it comes from
From Middle English sniffen, of imitative origin.
verb sniffs · sniffing · sniffed
- To make a short, audible inhalation, through the nose, as when smelling something; to smell (something). The dog sniffed around the park, searching for a nice scent.
- To say (something) while sniffing, such as in case of illness or unhappiness, or in contempt. "He's never coming back, is he?" she sniffed while looking at a picture of him.
-
To inhale drugs (usually cocaine) through the nose, usually in powder form.
Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.
Similar: snort
- To be dismissive or contemptuous of something; used with at. This opportunity is not to be sniffed at.
- To perceive vaguely. I don't know, of course, what your precious Radicals are planning to do, and I don't want to know; but I can sniff trouble in the air, nevertheless.
- To pry; to investigate in an interfering manner. COOMBE: He got the clinch only last week — eighteen months. You see it's no good having anybody here as ain't got a^([sic]) unblemished character. We don't want to have the bluebottles come sniffing round here, do we?
- To intercept and analyse packets of data being transmitted over a network. packet sniffer
noun sniffs
- An instance of sniffing. She gave the flowers a quick sniff to check they were real.
- A quantity of something that is inhaled through the nose.
- A brief perception, or tiny amount. Tottenham did have a sniff of goal when Defoe's drilled cross just eluded his strike partner at the far post but their best effort came early in the second half when Ryan Fredericks cut in from the right before firing into the side netting.
- Cocaine. He sold us some sniff and blow.
- A toddler or young child.
interjection
- A short inhalation sound, sometimes associated with crying. a wild boar is laughing and Obelix is crying Wild boar classified a protected species First reaction from dismayed costumers: “Boohoohoo! Sniff!”
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: sniffle, snuff, whiff, snort, smell, track, feel, trace, stickers, snuffle, snift, snortle, nasalize, sniffin', snot, snuzzle
Translations
Every language
verb to make a short audible inhalation
| Español | olfatear, olisquear, oliscar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 嗅ぐ kagu |
| 中文 | 嗅 xiù, 闻 |
| Português | farejar, fungar |
| Français | renifler |
| Deutsch | schnüffeln, züngeln |
| Italiano | annusare, fiutare |
| Русский | шмы́гать šmýgatʹ, шмыгну́ть šmygnútʹ, ню́хать njúxatʹ, поню́хать ponjúxatʹ, приню́хиваться prinjúxivatʹsja, приню́хаться prinjúxatʹsja |
| Tiếng Việt | ngửi |
Talk about this word "sniff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sniff. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sniff. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sniff "sniff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sniff.Cite this
@misc{sniff_2026,
title = {sniff},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sniff},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
