sneeze
Americanverb (used without object)
-
sneezes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sneezed,
past participle, past
-
sneezing
present participle
noun
-
sneezes
plural
verb phrase
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sneezesimple
-
sneezessimple
-
have sneezedperfect
-
has sneezedperfect
-
am sneezingprogressive
-
are sneezingprogressive
-
is sneezingprogressive
-
have been sneezingperfect progressive
-
has been sneezingperfect progressive
Past
-
sneezedsimple
-
had sneezedperfect
-
was sneezingprogressive
-
were sneezingprogressive
-
had been sneezingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sneeze
1485–95; earlier snese; replacing Middle English fnese, Old English fnēosan; cognate with Dutch fniezen, Old Norse fnȳsa
Explanation
When you sneeze, you blow air forcefully (and involuntarily) out of your nose and mouth, possibly while making a sound that might be spelled "achoo!" Allergies, pepper, and dust are all famous for making people sneeze. Behind every sneeze is some kind of irritant, a foreign substance that bothers the mucous membranes inside your nose. Pollen, cat dander, and the inflammation of your nose caused by a cold virus can all cause a sneeze (or several sneezes). When you sneeze, muscles in your face, neck, and chest contract reflexively. In rare cases, very bright lights or eating a large meal can make people sneeze. Go figure!
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:
If the U.S. has a financial sneeze, the rest of the world doesn’t get a nasty cold.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
He made her sneeze and caused watery eyes and severe rashes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Interest surged in 2020 when the star unexpectedly dimmed after what was described as a stellar "sneeze."
From Science Daily ● Jan. 10, 2026
Welch continued: “If it’s 100 mile an hour winds and it’s dry, someone’s going to sneeze and there’s going to be a fire.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
I’ve used bird-lime and turpentine, Enough to make you sneeze, Alder leaves and lavender— We’ve still got fleas.
From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz
The old adage that the rest of the world sneezes when the U.S. catches a cold very much applies to bonds as well.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
The measles spreads easily through the air when an infected person breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The virus spreads from person to person through close physical contact, coughs or sneezes and touching infected clothing, bedding or towels.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025
And if tech sneezes, global financial markets—starting with the U.S.—will catch a cold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2025
They’re not going to care that June always sneezes three times in a row.
From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy
I felt a stab of pain whenever I coughed or sneezed.
From Slate ● Mar. 29, 2026
Measles is a highly contagious disease which is spread by coughs and sneezes or by touching things that someone with measles has coughed or sneezed on.
From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2026
Then one time, he sneezed, and my cousin said, “Bless you.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2025
Though initially, this created a buzz that Betelgeuse might go supernova any minute, scientists soon found out that the dimming was actually due to a large fluff of dust that the monster sneezed out.
From Space Scoop ● Aug. 20, 2025
A bell runged and a whistle tooted and if you’d-a sneezed, you’d-a missed the whole thing.
From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis
Respiratory droplets carrying the Yersinia bacteria are released through coughing or sneezing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Since March, government figures show nearly 750 people, mostly children, have died from the highly contagious disease, which spreads easily through breathing, coughing or sneezing.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
It can spread through coughing and sneezing, and remain infectious in the air up to two hours after an infected person has left a room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
Prof Andrew Lee, from the University of Sheffield, suggests people with other infections that cause a lot of coughing and sneezing may have made it easier for meningitis-causing bacteria to spread in the club.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
While dusting and wiping and fluffing and sneezing, Ophie wondered what it would be like to have people spend weeks getting a room ready for her.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
