snuffle

[snuhf-uh l]

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verb (used without object), snuf·fled, snuf·fling.

to draw air into the nose for the purpose of smelling something; snuff.

to draw the breath or mucus through the nostrils in an audible or noisy manner; sniffle; snivel.

to speak through the nose or with a nasal twang.

to whine; snivel.

verb (used with object), snuf·fled, snuf·fling.

to utter in a snuffling or nasal tone.

noun

an act or sound of snuffling.

snuffles, a condition of the nose, as from a cold, causing snuffling (usually preceded by the).

a nasal tone of voice.

Origin of snuffle

1575–85; < Dutch snuffelen to nose (in something), derivative of snuffen to snuff¹ with frequentative suffix -el-; see -le

Related formssnuf·fler, nounsnuf·fling·ly, adverbsnuf·fly, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for snuffle

inhale, smell, detect, wheeze, growl, grunt, mumble, mutter, bark, snuff, scent, inspire, nose, sleep, snort, roar, roll, whine, snarl, snap

Examples from the Web for snuffle

Historical Examples of snuffle

The boy began to sob, and drew his coat-sleeve across his eye with a snuffle.
A Coin of Edward VII
Fergus Hume
From the stable came the snuffle and stamp of a feeding horse.
Five Tales
John Galsworthy
Snuffle and wheeze—snuffle and wheeze of the asthmatic Chinamans breathing.
Dust of the Desert
Robert Welles Ritchie
Smoke: Snuffle the nose and raise the fingers of both hands several times, rubbing the fingers against each other.
Travels in the Interior of North America, 1832-1834, Part III (the Text Being Chapters XXVIII-XXXIII of the London Edition, 1843, and the Appendix a Combination of the Appendices of the London and German [Coblentz, 1839] Editions)
Maximilian, Prinz von Wied
While Fraulein waited, trembling, several of the girls began to snuffle and sob.
Pointed Roofs
Dorothy Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for snuffle

snuffle

verb

(intr) to breathe noisily or with difficulty

to say or speak in a nasal tone

(intr) to snivel

noun

an act or the sound of snuffling

a nasal tone or voice

the snuffles a condition characterized by snuffling

Derived Formssnuffler, nounsnuffly, adjective

Word Origin for snuffle

C16: from Low German or Dutch snuffelen; see snuff 1, snivel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for snuffle

1580s, from Dutch or Flemish snuffelen "to sniff about, pry," related to Dutch and Flemish snuffen "to sniff" (see snuff (v.2)). Related: Snuffled; snuffling.

1764, "sound made by snuffling," from snuffle (v.). Old English had snofl (n.) "phlegm, mucus." The snuffles "troublesome mucous discharge from the nostrils" is from 1770.

snuffle in Medicine

snuffle

[snŭf′əl]

v.

To breathe noisily, as through a blocked nose.

n.

The act of snuffling.

snuffles Obstructed nasal respiration, especially in a newborn, sometimes due to congenital syphilis.