sniff

sniff — verb

1. To draw air into your nose through short breaths in order to detect an odour or

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

To draw air into your nose through short breaths in order to detect an odour or discover where a smell is coming from.

Example

Ravindra sniffed the fresh bread as soon as he walked into the kitchen.

The dog sniffed the ground around the tree for several minutes before moving on.

sniff + noun phrase (object being smelled)

Common collocations
  • sniff + bread/wine/cheese/flowers/air
  • sniff at + food/perfume/surface
  • sniff cautiously/suspiciously
Synonyms
  • smell

    more general; sniff specifically implies short, audible breaths through the nose

  • inhale

    more technical; sniff carries the idea of smelling something, whereas inhale is simply breathing in

  • snuffle

    sniff repeatedly, often wetly or noisily from a cold

Antonyms
  • exhale

    breathe out rather than in

Grammar Patterns

sniff + noun phrase (directly smell something)

sniff at + noun phrase (approach to smell)

Common Mistakes

I sniffed the soup but couldn't taste it.
I sniffed the soup but couldn't smell anything.
sniff detects smell, not taste.
She sniffed the air to stop her nose from running.
She sniffed loudly to stop her nose from running.
when clearing the nose, sniff is used intransitively, not with a direct object like 'the air'.

2. To breathe in sharply through the nose, often making a short sound that you can

2.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

To breathe in sharply through the nose, often making a short sound that you can hear, when you have a cold or to stop liquid from running out of your nose.

Example

Reuben sniffed loudly after playing outside in the cold, then wiped his nose.

intransitive sniff + adverb loudly

Nia sniffed a few times while waiting for her cold medicine to take effect.

Common collocations
  • sniff loudly
  • sniff quietly
  • sniff repeatedly
  • sniff + from a cold/allergy
Synonyms
  • sniffle

    sniff repeatedly and slightly wetly, usually from a cold or tears

Grammar Patterns

sniff (no direct object)

Usage Note

This sense is intransitive only — you do not sniff something in this meaning. Frequently appears in descriptions of someone who has a cold, has been crying, or is in cold weather.

Common Mistakes

He sniffed his nose to clear it.
He sniffed to clear his nose.
the verb is intransitive; 'nose' cannot be the object of sniff in this sense.

3. To express scorn, a lack of respect, or strong disapproval through one's tone —

3.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

To express scorn, a lack of respect, or strong disapproval through one's tone — often by speaking with contempt about a person, an idea, or a suggestion.

Example

When Felipe mentioned his plan, Hugo sniffed and said he had heard better ideas before.

'You call that art?' Allison sniffed, looking at the painting with obvious distaste.

sniff + quoted speech expressing scorn

Common collocations
  • sniff at + idea/plan/suggestion/offer
  • sniff + that-clause
  • sniff with disdain/contempt
Synonyms
  • scoff

    laugh or mock at something scornfully; more openly dismissive than sniff

  • sheer

    show contempt through facial expression or tone

  • disdain

    to regard with contempt; more formal and less vocal than sniff

Antonyms
  • praise

    express warm approval or admiration

Grammar Patterns

sniff at + noun phrase (express scorn about)

sniff + that-clause (say scornfully)

Usage Note

Often used with a that-clause or with quoted speech to report the scornful remark. The intransitive form 'sniff at + something' is more common than the transitive form with a clause.

Common Mistakes

He sniffed at the offer and accepted it with pleasure.
He sniffed at the offer, saying it was far too low.
sniffing at something means you disapprove or look down on it, not that you like it.
Phrasal verbs

sniff around

phrasal verb

To try to find information about something, often secretly.

The journalist sniffed around the politician's office.

Why are you sniffing around my computer?

sniff at

phrasal verb

To show that you do not respect or like something.

Don't sniff at homemade food; it's often better.

He sniffed at the idea of working on weekends.

sniff out

phrasal verb

To discover or find something by looking or searching carefully.

The dog sniffed out the hidden drugs.

Investigators sniffed out the corruption in the company.

sniff round

phrasal verb

To look around a place to find out information.

The detective sniffed round the crime scene.

She sniffed round the old house for clues.

Idioms

not to be sniffed/sneezed at

idiom

Something that is good enough to be considered or accepted.

A free trip to Paris is not to be sniffed at.

Her offer of help was not to be sneezed at.

sniff — noun

Word family

  • sniffle
    verbB2
  • sniffle
    nounB2
  • sniffer
    nounC1
  • sniffly
    adjectiveB2
  • sniffy
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words relate to the nose and breathing, but they differ in scope and sound. Smell is the broadest term — it covers any perception of odour, whether intentional or not, and does not imply a particular breathing action. Sniff is more specific: it means drawing air in through the nose in short, audible breaths, usually to detect a particular scent. Inhale is a general physiological term meaning to take air into the lungs, without any focus on odour at all. Snuffle refers to sniffing repeatedly and noisily, often because of a cold or blocked nose. For example: Anya sniffed the milk to check if it was fresh (deliberate, short breath). The same action described as sniffling would suggest she had a cold. 'She inhaled deeply before speaking' has nothing to do with smell, while 'she smelled something burning' could happen without any audible breath.

sniff ↗smell ↗inhalesnuffle

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • take a sniff
  • give something a sniff
  • sniff at the idea
  • sniff with contempt

Prepositions

Etymology

Old English / Low GermanMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word sniff dates back to the 14th century and likely comes from an Old English or Low German source that imitates the sound of drawing air through the nose. Similar words exist in Dutch (snuffelen) and German (schnüffeln), both meaning to sniff or snoop around. The disapproving sense (verb 3) developed in the 1800s, drawing on the physical gesture of turning up one's nose as a sign of contempt. The figurative use — sniffing out a secret — appears in the 20th century, though this is not treated as a separate sense in this dictionary.