sniffer
Americannoun
-
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
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.
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
One of the boys allegedly walked past the offices of Europol, Eurojust and the Canadian embassy in The Hague carrying a "wi-fi sniffer" - a device designed to identify and intercept wi-fi networks.
From BBC • Sep. 26, 2025
But it is this strong smell, as well as the smell associated with their insect poo - frass - that makes them ideal to be found by sniffer dogs.
From BBC • Aug. 30, 2025
Meanwhile, the sniffer dogs at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia were wearing Crocs due to the temperature of the concrete underfoot.
From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025
Her ashen hair sits in a quivering pile atop her head and her spectacles, if not teetering on the end of her sniffer, hang from a sterling chain to rest upon her ample bosom.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
