sniffer

[snif-er]

See more synonyms for sniffer on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person or thing that sniffs.
a device or mechanism for detecting something.

Origin of sniffer

First recorded in 1860–65; sniff + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sniffer

snout, beak, muzzle, snoot, proboscis, bill, nares, nostrils, adenoids, schnoz, snuffer, horn, sniffer, smeller

Examples from the Web for sniffer

Contemporary Examples of 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
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

Historical Examples of sniffer

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

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

Word Origin and History for sniffer

"the nose," 1858, agent noun from sniff (v.).