sniff
To make a short, audible inhalation, through the nose, as when smelling somethingTo make a short, audible inhalation, through the nose, as when smelling something; to smell (something).
» Tom opened the bottle of wine and sniffed it.
Meaning
7 senses(ambitransitive)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.
I sniffed the meat to see whether it had gone off.
inhale audibly through the nose
To make a short, audible inhalation, through the nose, as when smelling something; to smell (something).
(ambitransitive, transitive)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.
(UK, ambitransitive, slang)To inhale drugs (usually cocaine) through the nose, usually in powder form.
ню́хатьnjúxatʹ
ню́хатиnjúxaty
perceive by inhaling through the nose
(ambitransitive, figuratively)To be dismissive or contemptuous of something; used with at.
This opportunity is not to be sniffed at.
фы́ркатьfýrkatʹ, фы́ркнутьfýrknutʹ
крутити носомkrutyty nosom
(ambitransitive, broadly, transitive)To perceive vaguely.
чу́ятьčújatʹ, почу́ятьpočújatʹ
відчуватиvidčuvaty, відчутиvidčuty
(intransitive)To pry; to investigate in an interfering manner.
To pry; to investigate in an interfering manner.
(intransitive)To intercept and analyse packets of data being transmitted over a network.
packet sniffer
Examples
85 sentencesTom opened the bottle of wine and sniffed it.
Bomb-sniffing dogs found some explosives at the airport.
Don't sniff your food.
Is that you sniffing?
The dog sniffed the ground.
ruСобака понюхала землю. — marafon
deDer Hund schnüffelte am Boden. — Esperantostern
Translations
8 languagesBy meaning 3
By meaning 3
By meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English sniffen, of imitative origin.From Middle English sniffen, of imitative origin.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
sniffs, sniffing, sniffed, sniffedPhrasal verbs
3 phrasal verbsSynonyms
3 synonymsWord family
12 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle