sniff
verb (used without object)
to draw air through the nose in short, audible inhalations.
had been sniffing
-
past perfect progressiveof sniff.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
Johnson has the only wins for the organization, but Elliott had been sniffing victory lane all season.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 9, 2016
Until then, private investigators for insurance companies had been sniffing around the remains of burned-out houses, working the streets and doing undercover work in Boston bars with an eye out for well-known torches.
From Time Magazine Archive
At that moment a large Bulldog, who had been sniffing and staring very hard, said: “Look. Isn’t there another of these queer creatures—over there, beside the river, under the trees?”
From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis
The Bulldog, who had been sniffing Uncle Andrew all over, raised its head and said, “It’s an animal. Certainly an animal. And probably the same kind as those other ones.”
From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis
She was stooping to caress the brown setter, who had been sniffing at her dress, and seemed anxious to inaugurate a friendship with her.
From The Lovels of Arden by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon
