sniff

American  

[snif] / snɪf /

verb (used without object)

• sniffs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sniffed,
  past participle,  past
• sniffing
  present participle

1. to draw air through the nose in short, audible inhalations.

2. to clear the nose by so doing; sniffle.

3. to smell by short inhalations.

4. to show disdain, contempt, etc., by or as by sniffing.

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verb (used with object)

• sniffs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sniffed,
  past participle,  past
• sniffing
  present participle

1. to perceive by or as by smelling.

   to sniff a scandal.

2. to inhale through the nose.

   to sniff the air.

noun

• sniffs
  plural

1. an act of sniffing; a single, short, audible inhalation.

2. the sound made by such an act.

3. a scent or odor perceived.

   a sniff of perfume.

sniff British  

/ snɪf /

verb

1. to inhale through the nose, usually in short rapid audible inspirations, as for the purpose of identifying a scent, for clearing a congested nasal passage, or for taking a drug or intoxicating fumes

2. to perceive or attempt to perceive (a smell) by inhaling through the nose

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noun

1. the act or sound of sniffing

2. a smell perceived by sniffing, esp a faint scent

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sniffing
  noun
• sniffingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sniffs
  plural

Participles

• sniffing
  present
• sniffed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sniff
  simple
• sniffs
  simple
• have sniffed
  perfect
• has sniffed
  perfect
• am sniffing
  progressive
• are sniffing
  progressive
• is sniffing
  progressive
• have been sniffing
  perfect progressive
• has been sniffing
  perfect progressive

Past

• sniffed
  simple
• had sniffed
  perfect
• was sniffing
  progressive
• were sniffing
  progressive
• had been sniffing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sniff
  simple
• will have sniffed
  perfect
• will be sniffing
  progressive
• will have been sniffing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sniff

1300–50; Middle English; back formation from snivel

Explanation

Smell that cake baking? No? Take a sniff. A sniff is when you take air in through your nose to smell something. Dogs sniff a lot. It's how they get to know the world. Imagine this when you see the figurative use for sniff meaning to snoop as in, "The detective was sniffing around for clues." Sniff is one of those words that sound like what they mean. Take a big sniff and listen, you'll see. If you have a cold, and you keep sniffing, you have what's known as the sniffles.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sniff sniffs sniffed sniffing

I worry about how A.I. writing and efforts to sniff it out are changing fully human writing.

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

You can't sniff at his durability either - 37 league appearances, 26 of them starts.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Lee reaches to sniff some hardy Cleveland sage 4.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

Officials such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the plan was to right-size the staff and introduce more technology to sniff out unpaid tax bills.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026

With eyes closed they inhaled deeply, for a good, concentrated sniff was the most foolproof way of knowing what was what.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

The firm uses computer-driven strategies to trade based on patterns and signals it sniffs out in markets and big data sets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

He has his morning cup of coffee out there while Daisy sniffs around, works her guard duty shifts, and takes in the million-dollar view, which stretches all the way to Santa Catalina Island.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2025

He’s bothered not by the stench of corruption but the criticism, which, he sniffs, is not informed or “anything remotely resembling it.”

From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2025

Sergio Perez sniffs out that this might be the moment to make a pass on Charles Leclerc, but the Ferrari driver is still in second, keeping the Mexican at bay.

From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2024

She growls louder, but then sniffs and licks the crumb of meat up.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

The All Blacks sniffed a famous victory when Will Jordan chased after his own kick ahead and crossed for a 17-12 lead in the 55th minute.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

But some have sniffed at this focus on "vibes".

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

These shots of concentrated caffeine are meant to be sipped, not sniffed, but one whiff of a ragingly popular one—bouquet de Dubble Bubble and wet sneakers—was enough to put me off them forever.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The New York Times eventually sniffed out the backroom deal.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026

One of the crew sniffed, and one blew his nose, and the others wiped their eyes.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

The Pomeranian munchkins in Munchkinland skitter around, sniffing wagging butts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

When Hindenburg Omens occur in clusters, they tend to be more effective at sniffing out near-term weakness.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

As part of the response, the US is stationing dogs capable of sniffing out screwworms at the borders.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

Also, value investors who previously stayed away from the sector are sniffing around.

From Barron's ● Apr. 16, 2026

Gurgi was already sniffing hungrily at the saddlebags.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

Related Words

• detect
• inhale
• smell