snuffle

[ snuhf-uhl ]

See synonyms for snuffle on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

a nasal tone of voice.

Origin of snuffle

First recorded in 1575–85; from Dutch snuffelen “to nose (in something),” derivative of snuffen “to sniff,” with -el- frequentative suffix; see snuff¹, -le

Other words from snuffle

snuffler, noun
snuf·fling·ly, adverb
snuffly, adjective

Words Nearby snuffle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use snuffle in a sentence

Heralded by the snuffle of the horses, light began glimmering over a chaos of lines and shadows, pale as mother-o'-pearl.
Villa Rubein and Other Stories | John Galsworthy
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
If he snuffle at the nose, he must snuffle cheerfully and with hope.
Hints to Pilgrims | Charles Stephen Brooks
Glory, who had been dozing in the sun, rose and prowled restlessly over to snuffle at the woodpile.
The Duck-footed Hound | James Arthur Kjelgaard
There came a kind of Highland snuffle out of the man that raised my dander strangely.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 11 (of 25) | Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for snuffle

snuffle

/ (ˈsnʌfəl) /

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

Origin of snuffle

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

Derived forms of snuffle

snuffler, noun
snuffly, adjective

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

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