sniff out
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.
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
The e-noses can sniff out the unique signatures of volatile organic compounds not only in the breath, but in excretions like sweat or urine, and have AI quickly identify them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
The bond vigilantes, as first coined by Wall Street veteran Ed Yardeni, sniff out government largess, corporate profligacy, geopolitical tremors, and inflation risks long before other financial assets and respond in kind.
From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025
To help detect those boats is a dog, Adele, trained by the UK’s National Crime Agency to sniff out rubber.
From BBC • Nov. 20, 2024
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I shall go back to the weird empty field where the humans keep their big, loud, smoky pulling machines and sniff out the names of the other members of the pack.”
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
