sneeze

American  

[sneez] / sniz /

verb (used without object)

sneezes, present (3rd person singular) sneezed, past participle, past sneezing present participle

1. to emit air or breath suddenly, forcibly, and audibly through the nose and mouth by involuntary, spasmodic action.

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noun

1. an act or sound of sneezing.

verb phrase

1. sneeze at to treat with contempt; scorn.

   $50,000 is nothing to sneeze at.

sneeze British  

/ sniːz /

verb

1. (intr) to expel air and nasal secretions from the nose involuntarily, esp as the result of irritation of the nasal mucous membrane

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noun

1. the act or sound of sneezing

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sneezer
  noun
• sneezeless
  adjective
• sneezy
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has sneezed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have sneezed
  perfect
• am sneezing
  progressive 1st person singular
• has been sneezing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been sneezing
  perfect progressive
• is sneezing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• sneezes
  singular 3rd person
• sneezing
  participle
• are sneezing
  progressive

Past

• had sneezed
  perfect
• were sneezing
  progressive plural
• was sneezing
  progressive singular
• had been sneezing
  perfect progressive
• sneezed
  participle
• sneezed
  simple

Future

• will sneeze
  simple
• will have sneezed
  perfect
• will have been sneezing
  perfect progressive
• will be sneezing
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of sneeze

1485–95; earlier snese; replacing Middle English fnese, Old English fnēosan; cognate with Dutch fniezen, Old Norse fnȳsa

Explanation

When you sneeze, you blow air forcefully (and involuntarily) out of your nose and mouth, possibly while making a sound that might be spelled "achoo!" Allergies, pepper, and dust are all famous for making people sneeze. Behind every sneeze is some kind of irritant, a foreign substance that bothers the mucous membranes inside your nose. Pollen, cat dander, and the inflammation of your nose caused by a cold virus can all cause a sneeze (or several sneezes). When you sneeze, muscles in your face, neck, and chest contract reflexively. In rare cases, very bright lights or eating a large meal can make people sneeze. Go figure!

Example Sentences

Dyszel recently added a helpful video PSA called “Cough, Sneeze & Cover — The Vampire Way!”

From Washington Post • Mar. 15, 2020

Sneeze into your sleeve, instead of your hand: Children call this the “vampire sneeze,” because it looks like you’re darkly vanishing into the folds of your Transylvanian velvet cape.

From Golf Digest • Feb. 13, 2018

Joining the comedy are the 1986 Tom Cruise high-flying "Top Gun" and 1894's "Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze," the oldest surviving copyrighted motion picture.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2015

"Sneeze number 4,014. Kitchen. Moderate. Looking at broccoli."

From BBC • Oct. 10, 2014

And none may Sneeze, Cough, nor Spit in the King’s Presence, either because of the ill boding of those actions, or the rudeness of them or both.

From An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous Escape by Knox, Robert