1
[ verb ] perceive by inhaling through the nose

Synonyms

whiff

Examples

"sniff the perfume"

Used in print

(The New York Times...)

`` I like to sniff a place , and reproduce what it really smells and looks_like , its color , its particular kind_of life '' .

(Ruth F. Rosevear, "North Country School Cares for...)

Sniffing its sweet smell and letting it fall to show its good crumbly consistency , he pointed to the nearby driveway and said , `` This soil used_to be like that hard packed road over there '' .

(Eugene Burdick, "The Invisible Aborigine"...)

Their heads were in_the_air sniffing .

(Terence O'Donnell, "Evenings at the Bridge"...)

But he knew ; he sniffed the air and licked it on his lip and knew as a vintner knows a vintage .

(Frank Murphy, "New Southern Fiction: Urban or Ag...)

On this trip to_the_South he wants , above_all else , to sniff the effluvium of backwoods-and-sand-hill subhumanity and to see at_least one barn burn at midnight '' .

Related terms

smell sniff_out

2
[ verb ] inhale audibly through the nose

Synonyms

sniffle

Examples

"the sick student was sniffling in the back row"

Used in print

(Leon Uris, Mila 8....)

Styka nodded and sniffed and blew his nose vociferously .

Related terms

inhale snuffle

3
[ noun ] sensing an odor by inhaling through the nose

Synonyms

snuff

Related terms

smell snuff

*