sniff

Study(17)

/snɪf/

verb 5noun 5intj 1

Collocations

(noun.)

ADJ

deep, good | loud

VERB + SNIFF

give, let out

When I told him my plan, he let out a dismissive sniff.

hear

get, have, take

She took a sniff of the coffee before deciding whether to drink it.

PREP

between ~s

She managed to tell us the news between sniffs while sitting on the sofa.

with a ~

He dismissed her concerns with a sniff and walked out of the room.

~ at

The cat sniffed at the milk bottle before deciding whether to drink it.

PHRASES

a sniff of disapproval

(verb.)

ADV

loudly

The dog sniffed loudly at the door, trying to catch a familiar scent.

deeply | a little | carefully, delicately

appreciatively

She sniffed appreciatively at the freshly baked bread cooling on the kitchen counter.

disapprovingly, disdainfully, disparagingly | suspiciously

back

He sniffed back his emotions and tried to act brave in front of his friends.

PREP

The cat sniffed at the empty food bowl and meowed loudly.

Definitions

verb

To make a short, audible inhalation, through the nose, as when smelling something.

The dog sniffed around the park, searching for a nice scent.

I sniffed the meat to see whether it had gone off.

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 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 be dismissive or contemptuous of something; used with at.

This opportunity is not to be sniffed at.

noun

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.

Telecoms firms want a sniff, having invested heavily in ultra-fast, low-latency 5G spectrum.

Cocaine.

He sold us some sniff and blow.

A toddler or young child.

intj

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

Synonyms

noun — sensing an odor by inhaling through the nose

snuff

verb — inhale audibly through the nose

sniffle

verb — perceive by inhaling through the nose

whiff

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

sniff test

An informal check of an idea or proposal, using one's common sense or sense of propriety.

Near-synonyms: reality check, sanity check, sanity test

Example Bank

The dog sniffed around the park, searching for a nice scent.

Wiktionary

I sniffed the meat to see whether it had gone off.

Wiktionary

Carrot ran past him to get to the barrel first, and peered down at the cowering Catweazle. “No rats, Dad,” he said. “What's that terrible pong, then?” said Mr Bennett, sniffing.

Wiktionary

She gave the flowers a quick sniff to check they were real.

Wiktionary

Telecoms firms want a sniff, having invested heavily in ultra-fast, low-latency 5G spectrum.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, sniff is marked as slang, colloquial. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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