plural snuffs
1
: the charred part of a candlewick
His head instantly dropped, and he ceased breathing as quietly as the snuff of a candle goes out.—
Paul Jennings
Paul Jennings2
b
chiefly Scotland
: a fit of resentment or indignation : huff
To take a thing in snuff was to take it offensively, and express contempt of the offender by drawing up the nostril …—All the Year Round: A Weekly Journal
All the Year Round: A Weekly JournalTaking it to snuff and dudgeon …—Maurice Atkins
Maurice Atkins
snuffed; snuffing; snuffs
1
: to crop the snuff of (a candle) by pinching or by the use of snuffers so as to brighten the light
She hastily snuffed her candle—it was burning dim …—Francis Warre Cornish
Francis Warre CornishThe man took up the candle, snuffed it with his fingers, and striding up to Ephraim held the light full in his face …—Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Mary Elizabeth Braddon2
a
: to extinguish (a flame, a candle, etc.) by or as if by the use of a candlesnuffer
Fire crews were making progress as they continued to patrol the town, snuffing small spot fires and sparking a controlled burn to protect the remaining buildings.—The Globe and Mail (Canada)
—often used with outThe Globe and Mail (Canada)He lit the cones and immediately snuffed them out.—Daniel P. Wiener
Daniel P. WienerI snuffed out my tallow candle, jumped into my coat and moccasins, and plunged out into the snow.—Jean Craighead George
Jean Craighead George(figurative) Four cubic miles of volcanic ash and other debris shot as high as 30 miles into the atmosphere, snuffing out the daylight and covering nearby islands with several feet of ash.—Cheryl Simon
Cheryl Simon
b
: to cause the end of : to put an end to
Three interceptions in the fourth quarter snuffed San Diego's remaining hopes.—John Papanek
—usually used with outJohn PapanekThe rebellion might have been easily snuffed out then.—Jeffrey Bartholet
Jeffrey Bartholet
: characterized by the sensationalistic depiction of violence
especially
: featuring a real rather than a staged murder
snuff movies
snuffed; snuffing; snuffs
1
: to draw forcibly through or into the nostrils
3
: to sniff at in order to examine
—used of an animal
1
: to inhale through the nose noisily and forcibly
also
: to sniff or smell inquiringly
2
obsolete
: to sniff loudly in or as if in disgust
3
: to take snuff
1
: a preparation of pulverized tobacco to be inhaled through the nostrils, chewed, or placed against the gums
2
: the amount of snuff taken at one time
Phrases
snuff it
British slang
: die
… the man did look absolutely dreadful; dreadful enough that he should almost certainly have snuffed it by now …—Matthew Waldram
Matthew Waldram… a fairly detailed itinerary had emerged giving me the opportunity to achieve at least half of the items on the 'before I snuff it' list.—Sydney Marcellus Operahouse
Sydney Marcellus Operahouse
: of sufficient quality : meeting an applicable standard
Examples of snuff in a Sentence
Verb (2)
the dog began barking as soon as she snuffed the scent of squirrel
the proprietor of the boarding house had apparently snuffed almost 50 old men before she was caught
Recent Examples on the Web
Lili Anolik, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
Election officials in Colorado are crediting advanced ballot matching technology for snuffing out a scheme to fraudulently cast as many as a dozen ballots in the upcoming presidential election.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2024
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2024
Things go badly, and only get worse when Hawke finds a box of 16mm snuff films in the attic.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 15 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for snuff 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
The rebel spark in my heart, though, wasn’t completely snuffed.
—Lili Anolik, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
Election officials in Colorado are crediting advanced ballot matching technology for snuffing out a scheme to fraudulently cast as many as a dozen ballots in the upcoming presidential election.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
The snuff scenes, from which the movie’s striking poster is derived, aren’t that extreme for a giallo.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2024
Things go badly, and only get worse when Hawke finds a box of 16mm snuff films in the attic.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 15 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for snuff
Articles Related to snuff
Dictionary Entries Near snuff
Cite this Entry
“Snuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snuff. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
snuff
1 of 3 verb1
: to cut off the burned end of the wick of a candle so as to brighten the light
2
: to put an end to : extinguish
snuff out a candle
snuff out a life
snuff
2 of 3 verb1
: to draw forcibly through or into the nostrils
2
: to sniff so as to smell
snuff
3 of 3 noun
: powdered tobacco especially for inhaling through the nostrils
Etymology
Verb
Middle English snoffe "the burned end of a candle wick"
Verb
perhaps derived from Dutch snuffen "to sniff"
Noun
from Dutch snuf, a shortened form of snuftabak "powdered tobacco," from snuffen "to snuff, sniff" and tabak "tobacco"
Medical Definition
snuff
noun
: a preparation of pulverized tobacco to be inhaled through the nostrils, chewed, or placed against the gums
also
: a preparation of a powdered drug to be inhaled through the nostrils
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