sneeze

[ sneez ]

/ sniz /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sneeze ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), sneezed, sneez·ing.

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

noun

an act or sound of sneezing.

Verb Phrases

sneeze at, Informal. to treat with contempt; scorn: $50,000 is nothing to sneeze at.

Nearby words

sneck, sneer, sneeringly, sneery, sneesh, sneeze, sneeze at, sneezeguard, sneezeweed, sneezewood, sneezewort

Origin of sneeze

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

Related forms

sneeze·less, adjectivesneez·er, nounsneez·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sneeze

Will went on to say doctors believe a “sneeze or some cough” can spread Ebola.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: October 19|PunditFact.com|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It can spread through a sneeze, cough, sharing a beverage or speaking up close with someone who has the disease.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: October 19|PunditFact.com|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Brosseau said her views had nothing to do with Ebola spreading among the public at large through a sneeze or cough.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: October 19|PunditFact.com|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And our immune system, admirable and dedicated protector of our health, is making us sneeze our brains out.
Blame Climate Change for Your Terrible Seasonal Allergies|Kent Sepkowitz|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

No one applauded–rare on a night when hands tend to clap after every cough and sneeze.
Obama’s 34 Words That Matter Most|Joshua DuBois|February 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When she smiles all laugh; when she feels a cold in her head all sneeze.
A Summer's Outing|Carter H. Harrison
Just at that moment—the unluckiest that could have been selected—he was seized with a strong inclination to sneeze.
Try and Trust|Horatio Alger
The smoke and the soot tickled the boy's nostrils until it seemed to him that he must sneeze.
Tom Strong, Lincoln's Scout|Alfred Bishop Mason
But they had no sooner come near the little person in the cotton night-cap than they themselves began to cough and sneeze.
The Blue Bird for Children|Georgette Leblanc
The stone did, though, and hit Uncle Wiggily on the nose, making him sneeze.
Uncle Wiggily's Adventures|Howard R. Garis

British Dictionary definitions for sneeze

sneeze

/ (sniːz) /

verb

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

noun

the act or sound of sneezing

Derived Forms

sneezeless, adjectivesneezer, nounsneezy, adjective

Word Origin for sneeze

Old English fnēosan (unattested); related to Old Norse fnӯsa, Middle High German fnūsen, Greek pneuma breath

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for sneeze

sneeze

[ snēz ]

v.

To expel air forcibly from the mouth and nose in an explosive, spasmodic involuntary action resulting chiefly from irritation of the nasal mucous membrane.

n.

The act or an instance of sneezing.