snifter

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snifter

/ˈsnɪftə/ UK
/ˈsnɪftəɹ/ US

Rhymes with -ɪftə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

The verb is derived from Middle English snifteren, snifter, snyfter (“to sniffle”), possibly from *snift (possibly derived from an Old Norse word—compare Old Danish snifte and Swedish snyfta (“to sniffle; to sob”); probably ultimately imitative) + -er- (frequentative suffix) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs).

The noun is derived from the verb.

verb snifters · sniftering · sniftered

intransitive To sniff; also, to snivel or snuffle. Brouffer. To ſnurt, or ſnifter vvith the noſe, like a horſe.
archaic, rare, transitive Followed by out: to speak (words) in a nasal, snuffling manner.

noun snifters

Northern England, Scotland A sniff.
Northern England, Scotland, figuratively A strong or severe wind.
figuratively A small, wide, pear-shaped glass used for drinking aromatic liquors such as bourbon and brandy. [H]e springs to another wooden vat and turns a valve, filling a snifter with a warm amber liquid. […] Bang holds the liquid up to the light, swirls it around, takes a sniff of the pungent bouquet, puts the glass to his lips—and gives a satisfied smile.
Similar: brandy bowl, brandy glass, brandy snifter, cognac glass, whiskey glass
figuratively, informal Synonym of nip (“a small amount of an alcoholic beverage, especially one equivalent to what a snifter (noun sense 2.2) might hold”) "Sit down, bo," invited Soup Face. "I guess you're a regular all right. Here, have a snifter?" and he pulled a flask from his side pocket, holding it toward The Oskaloosa Kid.
Similar: nip
US, figuratively, slang Synonym of cocaine addict; a sniffer.
Similar: cocaine addict
US, figuratively, slang A small amount of cocaine taken by inhaling through the nose.
US, figuratively, slang A handheld device used to detect signals from radio transmitters; a sniffer.

Translations

Every language

noun small, wide, pear-shaped glass

Español	coñaquera, copa balón, copa de brandy, copa de coñac
日本語	スニフター sunifutā, スニフターグラス sunifutāgurasu, ブランデーグラス burandēgurasu, テイスティンググラス teisutingugurasu
Français	ballon, pipe à cognac, verre à cognac
Deutsch	Kognakglas, Kognakschwenker, Nosing-Glas
Italiano	snifter, napoleone
Русский	рю́мка rjúmka
עברית	כוס ברנדי סניפטר

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MLA

"snifter." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/snifter. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

snifter. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/snifter

Chicago

"snifter." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/snifter.

BibTeX

@misc{snifter_2026,
  title = {snifter},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/snifter},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}