snuffle
Americanverb (used without object)
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snuffles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
snuffled,
past participle, past
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snuffling
present participle
verb (used with object)
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snuffles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
snuffled,
past participle, past
-
snuffling
present participle
noun
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an act or sound of breathing loudly through the nose.
-
(the) snuffles, a condition of the nose, such as from a cold, causing a person to breath or draw mucus through the nostrils noisily.
-
a nasal tone of voice.
verb
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(intr) to breathe noisily or with difficulty
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to say or speak in a nasal tone
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(intr) to snivel
noun
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an act or the sound of snuffling
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a nasal tone or voice
-
a condition characterized by snuffling
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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snufflesimple
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snufflessimple
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have snuffledperfect
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has snuffledperfect
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am snufflingprogressive
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are snufflingprogressive
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is snufflingprogressive
-
have been snufflingperfect progressive
-
has been snufflingperfect progressive
Past
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snuffledsimple
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had snuffledperfect
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was snufflingprogressive
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were snufflingprogressive
-
had been snufflingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of snuffle
First recorded in 1575–85, for an earlier sense; 1595–1605, for the current sense; from Dutch snuffelen “to nose (in something),” literally, “to sniff repeatedly,” from snuffen “to sniff,” with -el-, frequentative infix; equivalent to snuff 1 ( def. ) + -le
Explanation
When you snuffle you breathe in a sniffly, stuffed-up way through your nose. People are most likely to snuffle when they're crying or have a bad cold. For some people, spring means warmer weather and pretty flowers, but for others it means their allergies make them snuffle and sneeze continuously. When you see a sad movie in a theater, you'll probably hear people snuffle all around you — and if you visit the zoo or a farm, you can watch animals snuffle, or sniff at things. The Old English version of snuffle is snofl, "phlegm or mucus."
Vocabulary lists containing snuffle
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.
See Examples For:
Other days, the project manager will play with her pup at home or throw a few treats in a snuffle mat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025
They invited a winsome six-month-old piglet named Wilma to snuffle around in the mini-meadow, which she did with tremendous focus and energy, transfixing her audience.
From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2022
Wild boar snuffle through rusted playgrounds, and kindergarten napping areas are scattered with wide-eyed, broken dolls, thick with radioactive dust.
From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2014
A pig lolls in the mud while her offspring snuffle in the filth.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2014
The poor fellow’s voice had grown sadder and sadder since the beginning of the conversation, and now he definitely began to snuffle.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Hedgehogs may be communicating with more than just snuffles, grunts and snorts, according to scientists who have discovered the animal's hearing range.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
The sound design also helps bring the series’ creatures to life, though roars, grunts, snuffles, and subtler noises like heavy footsteps, or the rustling of raptors rushing through a field of wheat.
From The Verge ● Oct. 7, 2019
Although he seldom cries, he “grunts and snuffles and roars.”
From The New Yorker ● May 11, 2019
In time, the kids help teach Dumbo to fly, coaxing him with a feather he snuffles into his trunk: He sneezes, and the exhalation sends him up.
From New York Times ● Mar. 27, 2019
Robin snuffles my morning breath, but I don’t budge.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
On Sunday, in the community of Pacupac, on the north coast of Luzon, pigs marooned on a hillock snuffled for food.
From New York Times ● Sep. 16, 2018
When the film mercifully finished, I crawled into bed and stared wide-eyed at my door for most of the night while my friend snuffled peacefully, completely oblivious to my terror.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 22, 2014
He left tracks larger than coffee cans, and snuffled through our dreams all night.
From New York Times ● May 16, 2013
He knelt down to pick up two hairless, puppies, which snuffled at his hands.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2010
The king of Terabithia snuffled and wiped his face on the back of his hand.
From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson
"I lay still, pretending to be dead. I could feel one of the animals snuffling at my head," she said.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2025
Next to arrive is her disembodied trunk, with a mind of its own, snuffling out friends and enemies and food.
From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2024
Kaunda, though, appeared unfazed by the unexpected intrusion of his personal space and continued to deliver his on-camera report, only finally bursting into laughter when the elephant’s leathery appendage started snuffling his face.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 18, 2022
I’m far removed from Pleistocene Siberia, but I thought I wasn’t a dog person until I was introduced to a snuffling puppy who needed some food and a warm place to sleep.
From Slate ● Feb. 17, 2021
After a few minutes, the dragon lifted its head and made a tiny snuffling noise.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
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