sneeze
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
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:
That is nothing to sneeze at—though it is dwarfed by the $13 trillion that was indexed to the S&P 500.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
“But now, for the next six weeks, he can’t sneeze or cough because it could do a lot of damage.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026
Interest surged in 2020 when the star unexpectedly dimmed after what was described as a stellar "sneeze."
From Science Daily ● Jan. 10, 2026
As a result, Mr. Hegseth’s pocket square is nothing to sneeze at.
From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2025
Ron snorted loudly, but managed to pass it off as a violent sneeze.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
It sometimes occurs when a person sneezes or coughs vigorously, or pokes or rubs their eye.
From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2026
And if tech sneezes, global financial markets—starting with the U.S.—will catch a cold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2025
RSV can spread through coughs or sneezes but also by touching a contaminated surface, such as a door handle, and then touching your face before washing your hands, health officials warn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2025
When the U.S. sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025
Maybe after all she was right; maybe Joe Mondragon had been thinking about him, causing those sneezes.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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
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
In early 2020, the world scrubbed down surfaces, washed hands and sneezed into elbows, desperate to avoid infection with a new coronavirus.
From New York Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
"Yarhamkum Allah," I said, thinking she had sneezed.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
The virus can spread through coughing and sneezing — hanging in the air and living on surfaces for hours after an infected person has left a room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
"We're not talking about flu or Covid, where the virus designs itself to be spread through coughing and sneezing," he said.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026
Before he ran out of road, he pulled within sneezing distance of the car in front of him and used the draft to slingshot around into second.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
University students are particularly at risk because they mix with lots of new people, and the bacteria that cause meningitis are spread in similar ways to the common cold through sneezing and coughing.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2025
The next morning I started sneezing and came down with a terrible cold.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
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.
