sniffles
Britishplural noun
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a cold in the head
-
the sniffling that sometimes accompanies weeping or prolonged crying
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.
During the pandemic, the rules for school attendance with the sniffles were clear, if a bit draconian: Keep a child home from school at any sign of illness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2025
It made parents more wary of illness, so when children get sniffles, they want to keep them off.
From BBC ● May 5, 2025
To deliver sentiment, the film instead relies on a score that sniffles as though a racehorse is being taken out to get shot.
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2024
Some advocates and school systems — and the state of California — are now encouraging kids to come to class even when they have the sniffles or other nuisance illnesses like lice or pinkeye.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
Television is like a strain of the common cold that can spread like lightning through a population, but only causes a few sniffles and is gone in a day.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
