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
People have gotten so used to preemptively apologizing for what they like that their mea culpas feel as reflexive as a sneeze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
He made her sneeze and caused watery eyes and severe rashes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
"Every cough, every sneeze becomes a potential danger."
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
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
Opening windows where possible and practising good hygiene - using and then binning a tissue for coughs and sneezes and washing your hands - can help prevent this.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 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
“When a major cloud provider sneezes, the internet catches a cold,” he told the Journal.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2025
That virus can transmit through an infected person’s saliva and mucus and likely spreads “when an infected person coughs, sneezes or touches a surface that is then touched by others,” the CDC said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025
Her grandmother Lucy had told her that a lady never sneezes, burps, runs, screams, or cries in public.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
Last week, CoreWeave sneezed, the market caught a cold, and everyone became a doctor delivering a diagnosis: Either the patient is going to die or become stronger than ever.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
When I competed in Poland someone sneezed in my face at the airport.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
I felt a stab of pain whenever I coughed or sneezed.
From Slate ● Mar. 29, 2026
Every time he sneezed, I would say, “Bless you,” and he wouldn’t respond.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2025
The way she tilted her head, like she was concentrating incredibly hard on something, and how she sneezed and told herself, “God bless me.”
From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer
University students are particularly at risk because they mix with lots of new people, and the bacteria that causes meningitis is spread in similar ways to the common cold through sneezing and coughing.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 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
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
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
Ralph dug through his old papers, sneezing as he explored one box after another; somehow they’d grown dusty in the move.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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