sniffer

[ snif-er ]

/ ˈsnɪf ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sniffer ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that sniffs.

a device or mechanism for detecting something.

Nearby words

snickometer, snide, sniff, sniff at, sniff out, sniffer, sniffer dog, sniffish, sniffle, sniffles, sniffy

Origin of sniffer

First recorded in 1860–65; sniff + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sniffer

Existing methodology can involve plough-like, armor-plated machines, handheld metal detectors and sniffer dogs.
Diana Landmine Conspiracies Return|Martyn Gregory|June 6, 2010|DAILY BEAST
In the face of such compelling images, the immediate response is to send money, food, medicines, relief workers, sniffer dogs.
Rights Amid the Rubble|Elizabeth Ferris|January 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST
She had seen hell, one might say, and is the Sphynxian sniffer at the value of a secret.
Adventures in the Arts|Marsden Hartley
He has had ten dollars' worth of telling to-day by 'Sniffer' Orne.
When Egypt Went Broke|Holman Day

Perhaps the spirit of the sniffer may still inspire some of the jurors who from time to time make themselves heard in your case.
Letters to Dead Authors|Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for sniffer

sniffer

/ (ˈsnɪfə) /

noun

a device for detecting hidden substances such as drugs or explosives, esp by their odour

a computer program or device used to monitor, detect, and capture data on a network

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012