Sniff Definition

snĭf
sniffed, sniffing, sniffs
verb
sniffed, sniffing, sniffs
To draw in air through the nose with enough force to be heard, as in clearing the nose, smelling something, or expressing contempt or skepticism.
Webster's New World
To sniffle.
American Heritage Medicine
To say in a curt and disdainful way, with or as if with a sniff.
I don't believe it," she sniffed.
Webster's New World
To use the sense of smell, as in savoring or investigating.
Sniffed at the jar to see what it held.
American Heritage
To breathe in forcibly through the nose; draw in or inhale nasally.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
noun
An act or sound of sniffing.
Webster's New World
Something sniffed.
Webster's New World
A quantity of something that is inhaled through the nose.
Wiktionary
A brief perception.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
idiom
not to be sniffed at
  • worthy of consideration or acceptance
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Sniff

Noun

Singular:
sniff
Plural:
sniffs

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Sniff

  • not to be sniffed at

Origin of Sniff

  • Middle English sniffen probably of Scandinavian origin

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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