sniff
verb (used without object)
to draw air through the nose in short, audible inhalations.
have been sniffing
-
present perfect progressiveof sniff.present perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that began in the past, has continued continuously, and is still in progress.
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.
Search dogs have been sniffing through the rubble and rescuers are listening closely for any signs of life, but hope of finding more survivors is fading.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2023
Still, people have been sniffing the water coming from the taps, wondering about water in private wells and checking mysterious rashes in the mirror.
From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2023
Ambitious cooks have been sniffing around the city’s watering holes for some time, but in the last year they formed a small stampede.
From New York Times ● Sep. 8, 2015
Most disappointing player Big clubs have been sniffing around Christian Eriksen for quite some time now but if they followed him at Euro 2012 he may end up somewhere like, er, Rangers.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 2, 2012
I supposed she must have been sniffing around, wanting to get a whiff of my science project for next year.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
