sniffer
Americannoun
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a device for detecting hidden substances such as drugs or explosives, esp by their odour
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a computer program or device used to monitor, detect, and capture data on a network
Etymology
Origin of sniffer
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.
Even though the chief sniffer, The Dog is no longer here, bitter melons still appear like clockwork reminding me that home, and my own, isn’t, aren’t too far away.
From Salon • May 9, 2026
In the two weeks since Guthrie's disappearance, the FBI and local police have conducted a massive search operation involving helicopters, sniffer dogs and hundreds of officers, while taking in thousands of call-in tips.
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026
Footage from the campsite on Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcano, shows a huge slip near the base of the volcanic dome, as rescuers and sniffer dogs comb through crushed caravans and flattened tents.
From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026
A month later, Delhi Police conducted two extensive searches using sniffer dogs across JNU's sprawling campus - but again, nothing was found.
From BBC • Jul. 23, 2025
“So, you’re a book sniffer, is that what you’re telling me?”
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
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.
