snuffling

Everyday

1. Breathing noisily through the nose, as when you have a cold or are crying. tree →
2. (of an animal) Sniffing about noisily, like a hedgehog or a pig looking for food. tree →
3. (noun) The sound of this. tree →

In the lessons

In stories snuffling tells you a child is crying quietly or has a cold, or a small animal like a dog, pig or hedgehog is searching about. In nature writing hedgehogs are «snuffling» in the hedge at night.

Examples

• The puppy was snuffling around the garden. tree →
• I heard a hedgehog snuffling in the leaves. tree →
• She lay in bed snuffling with a cold. tree →
• The pig went snuffling through the mud for food. tree →
• The little boy stopped crying and only kept snuffling. tree →
• We could hear snuffling under the shed. tree →
• Meanwhile the fox had met with a huge herd of pigs, snuffling about the roots of some trees. tree →

Note

Regular verb: snuffle, snuffled. Similar: sniffling (a person with a cold or after crying), sniffing (smelling). «Snuffle» feels softer and more animal-like.