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.
Police officers and sniffer dogs were in the grounds of the abbey ahead of the service, which lasted about 90 minutes.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Trudeau’s government hired a film crew to capture two Black Hawk helicopters and a sniffer dog on patrol.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
But when US rescue workers and Spanish sniffer dogs found traces of life, his hopes for his two trapped brothers were rekindled.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
A Royal Air Force plane carrying 68 personnel and equipment including sniffer dogs and drones took off from Brize Norton airbase on Friday evening to join an international rescue operation.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
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
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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.