sniff test
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sniff test
- /ˈsnɪf tɛst/ UK
- /ˈsnɪf ˌtɛst/ US
Where it comes from
From sniff (noun) + test (noun).
noun sniff tests
-
An inspection of an object by smelling it, as for cleanliness of clothing or freshness of food.
Let wood dry overnight so solvent evaporates. Mr. [Hugh] Fite uses the sniff test: when he no longer smells solvent, the surface is likely dry enough.
Similar: nose test, smell test
-
An informal check of whether an idea or proposal is credible, ethical, etc., using one's common sense or sense of propriety.
Near-synonyms: reality check, sanity check, sanity test
Similar: nose test, smell test, reality check, sanity check, sanity test
- A medical procedure involving a person taking quick, short sniffs which cause contraction of the diaphragm during a fluoroscopy, enabling abnormalities of the diaphragm to be detected; diaphragm fluoroscopy. The most reliable radiographic maneuver to detect paradoxical movement is the sniff test, consisting of rapidly repeated inspirations through the nostrils during fluoroscopy. Normally, both hemidiaphragms descend sharply during a sniff, but with unilateral disphragmatic paralysis there is paradoxica
Talk about this word "sniff test." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sniff%20test. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sniff test. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sniff%20test "sniff test." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sniff%20test.Cite this
@misc{sniff_test_2026,
title = {sniff test},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sniff%20test},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
