sniffle
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
-
an act or sound of sniffling.
-
(the) sniffles, a condition, as a cold, marked by sniffling.
This draft is giving me the sniffles.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
snifflesimple
-
snifflessimple
-
have sniffledperfect
-
has sniffledperfect
-
am snifflingprogressive
-
are snifflingprogressive
-
is snifflingprogressive
-
have been snifflingperfect progressive
-
has been snifflingperfect progressive
Past
-
sniffledsimple
-
had sniffledperfect
-
was snifflingprogressive
-
were snifflingprogressive
-
had been snifflingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sniffle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The movie has no time to mine the psychology underneath their clash, let alone summon a sniffle for the other pitiful characters who die during this escapade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
"Pastina is the cure for any cold, sore throat or sniffle," Ali Abene Dahlhaus wrote on Facebook.
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2023
It’s a sniffle, a tickle in the throat and a headache.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 30, 2022
When attending holiday get-togethers, require everyone to obtain a rapid coronavirus test the day of the gathering and stay away from family members with even a hint of a sniffle.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 2, 2022
The Widow Ashton was already starting to sniffle.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
It made parents more wary of illness, so when children get sniffles, they want to keep them off.
From BBC ● May 5, 2025
We tend to think of the disease as a respiratory problem, given all the coughs and sniffles it produces, but it’s really more of a vascular disease, impacting any system that relies on blood vessels.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2024
To deliver sentiment, the film instead relies on a score that sniffles as though a racehorse is being taken out to get shot.
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2024
Fall and winter bring higher circulation of sniffles, sneezes and coughs.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 2, 2023
Then again, I always end up in Mom's bed whenever I get sick, even if it's just a case of the sniffles.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
Asked by a prosecutor to identify Weinstein in the courtroom, Siebel Newsom covered her face in her hands, sniffled and wiped away tears before pointing to him at the defense table.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2022
Subsequent jurors held back tears, or sniffled, their faces distraught.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 11, 2022
I’d never seen soprano Christine Goerke in such a state: Her voice cracked, her nose sniffled, her face turned bright red.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 13, 2022
After they marched out, men and women sniffled in the silence that the pipers left.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 29, 2020
Simmon sniffled a little and rubbed self-consciously at his face.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
For the 23-year-old Christmas can be a particularly difficult time as the sounds of other people, chewing, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2025
Lying would be obvious if you’re not coughing, sniffling or sneezing, and insulting to the other person.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
Bergquam also cried on screen, and Gruber shifted from sniffling to informing the show’s visibly upset host that “the anger is coming now.”
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2025
While playing a game of “Name that Tagline” with Evans, Wilson struggled to contain his sniffling and sipped on his tall glass of milk until it was empty.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2025
It comes out, and I hear my mother outside, sniffling, and my dad muttering, probably holding her.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
