sniff
Third Person
sniffs
Present Participle
sniffing
Past Tense
sniffed
Past Participle
sniffed
1
to inhale air audibly through the nose, often to detect or identify a scent or odor
transitive
- Dogs often sniff the ground to gather information about their surroundings.
- He regularly sniffs the air to determine what's cooking in the kitchen.
- Right now, the detective is sniffing the evidence to find any unusual scents.
- The baby is sniffing the flowers with curiosity.
- I have sniffed countless perfumes but haven't found my favorite yet.
Synonyms:
2
to breathe in through the nose audibly to clear mucus or other substances from the nasal passages and prevent a runny nose
- He sniffed loudly to clear his nose after being outside in the cold.
- Whenever she felt congested, she would sniff to try to alleviate the discomfort.
- He sniffed repeatedly to keep his nose from running during allergy season.
- The child sniffed after crying, trying to clear his stuffy nose.
- He sniffed several times to clear the dust from his nose after cleaning the attic.
Synonyms:
3
to express disapproval or contempt towards something or someone in a disdainful or critical manner, often by making a sniffing sound
transitive
- She sniffed at the idea, saying it was impractical.
- He sniffed in disapproval at the sight of the messy room.
- She sniffed contemptuously at the idea of spending the weekend camping.
- He sniffed with disdain at the suggestion that he needed help.
- The critic sniffed derisively at the amateurish attempt at art.
4
to consume drugs by inhaling them through the nose
transitive
- The police suspected that the man was sniffing cocaine when they noticed white powder around his nostrils.
- Some individuals mistakenly believe that sniffing prescription drugs is safer than injecting them.
- The teenager's grades began to decline after he started sniffing glue as a way to cope with stress.
- The undercover officer observed the suspects sniffing methamphetamine in the abandoned building.
- The celebrity's career took a nosedive after photos emerged of him sniffing a suspicious substance at a party.