sniff at
Britishverb
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.
This is the evidence Robinson believes can be England's X-factor at the World Cup, irrespective of those "purists" who may sniff at such an approach.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
It was about 8:30 p.m. when the spotted beast appeared and stopped to sniff at mountain lion scat before opening its jaw.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2024
Closer to home in the present, the telescope will sniff at the atmospheres of planets orbiting nearby stars, looking for the infrared signatures of elements and molecules associated with life, like oxygen and water.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 25, 2021
The ability to transform such refrigerator and pantry staples into a knock-your-socks-off dish of cheesy baked pasta is nothing to sniff at.
From Salon • Dec. 11, 2021
The manatee raised its fat snout out of the water to breathe and sniff at her, and Natalie felt a sudden kinship with it.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
