sniff

Everyday

1. To sniff means to breathe in quickly through your nose, so that you make a small sound. tree →
2. To sniff something means to smell it. tree →
3. To sniff can mean to breathe in noisily when you have a cold or are crying. tree →
4. A sniff is the act or sound of sniffing. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life, dogs sniff everything to learn about it, and a dog sniffing your hand is saying hello. With a cold, you sniff a lot; blowing your nose is better. In science, smell is a sense: we sniff to smell. In safety, never sniff unknown liquids, glue, or chemicals — some fumes are dangerous; in science lessons «waft» the smell towards you instead. In stories a character might sniff to show they disapprove or are about to cry.

Examples

• The dog sniffed my shoes. tree →
• Stop sniffing and blow your nose. tree →
• She sniffed the flowers. tree →
• Let the dog sniff your hand first. tree →
• Never sniff chemicals or glue. tree →
• He gave a sad little sniff. tree →
• The fox sniffed the air for danger. tree →
• She raised it to her nose and sniffed at it again and again. tree →

Note

Regular verb: sniffed, sniffing. Double f. «Sniffle» = sniff again and again with a cold. «Sniffer dog» = a dog trained to find things by smell. In science, waft smells; do not sniff straight from a container.