sniff
Americanverb (used without object)
-
sniffs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sniffed,
past participle, past
-
sniffing
present participle
-
to draw air through the nose in short, audible inhalations.
-
to clear the nose by so doing; sniffle.
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to smell by short inhalations.
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to show disdain, contempt, etc., by or as by sniffing.
verb (used with object)
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sniffs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sniffed,
past participle, past
-
sniffing
present participle
-
to perceive by or as by smelling.
to sniff a scandal.
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to inhale through the nose.
to sniff the air.
noun
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sniffs
plural
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an act of sniffing; a single, short, audible inhalation.
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the sound made by such an act.
-
a scent or odor perceived.
a sniff of perfume.
verb
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to inhale through the nose, usually in short rapid audible inspirations, as for the purpose of identifying a scent, for clearing a congested nasal passage, or for taking a drug or intoxicating fumes
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to perceive or attempt to perceive (a smell) by inhaling through the nose
noun
-
the act or sound of sniffing
-
a smell perceived by sniffing, esp a faint scent
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sniffsimple
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sniffssimple
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have sniffedperfect
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has sniffedperfect
-
am sniffingprogressive
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are sniffingprogressive
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is sniffingprogressive
-
have been sniffingperfect progressive
-
has been sniffingperfect progressive
Past
-
sniffedsimple
-
had sniffedperfect
-
was sniffingprogressive
-
were sniffingprogressive
-
had been sniffingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sniff
1300–50; Middle English; back formation from snivel
Explanation
Smell that cake baking? No? Take a sniff. A sniff is when you take air in through your nose to smell something. Dogs sniff a lot. It's how they get to know the world. Imagine this when you see the figurative use for sniff meaning to snoop as in, "The detective was sniffing around for clues." Sniff is one of those words that sound like what they mean. Take a big sniff and listen, you'll see. If you have a cold, and you keep sniffing, you have what's known as the sniffles.
Vocabulary lists containing sniff
Smell Words
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"Growing Together" and "When I Grow Up"
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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:
I worry about how A.I. writing and efforts to sniff it out are changing fully human writing.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
“Taking a dog out and doing a slow walk and letting them sniff is really mentally stimulating,” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Lee reaches to sniff some hardy Cleveland sage 4.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Officials such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the plan was to right-size the staff and introduce more technology to sniff out unpaid tax bills.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026
I hold Javier’s book to my nose and sniff.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
It sniffs out patterns invisible to the eye, predicts moves before the market even breathes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
He’s bothered not by the stench of corruption but the criticism, which, he sniffs, is not informed or “anything remotely resembling it.”
From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2025
Sergio Perez sniffs out that this might be the moment to make a pass on Charles Leclerc, but the Ferrari driver is still in second, keeping the Mexican at bay.
From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2024
Somewhere in the mountains of southeastern Spain, a tiny wood mouse sniffs the nutty, alluring aroma of acorns.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 29, 2024
Somebody sniffs and pulls a tissue from the box.
From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson
But some have sniffed at this focus on "vibes".
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
The New York Times eventually sniffed out the backroom deal.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
One AI lab insider sniffed: “We would be fools reacting to Karpian theatrics; he does well talking his own book.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
They haven’t sniffed the playoffs since while undergoing seemingly constant leadership changes that have allowed their culture to slowly rot.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
Clare sniffed around her, trying to understand why she refused to move.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
The Pomeranian munchkins in Munchkinland skitter around, sniffing wagging butts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
When Hindenburg Omens occur in clusters, they tend to be more effective at sniffing out near-term weakness.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
As Benchmark analyst Daniel Kurnos wrote, and Barron’s reported, at the time, “no one likes it when an 800-pound gorilla comes sniffing around.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
As part of the response, the US is stationing dogs capable of sniffing out screwworms at the borders.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
She used her other senses—listening for the echo of open spaces, feeling for cross-breezes against her face, sniffing for any scent of danger—smoke, or poison, or the stench of demons.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
