the sniffles

plural noun

informal

: a slight or mild cold that causes a person to sniffle a lot

I have (a case of) the sniffles.

Examples of the sniffles in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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That means there is no rule preventing athletes from training or competing, just as there isn’t anything from stopping someone with the sniffles or a stuffy nose. —

Alice Park / Paris, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024 The ever-shifting protocols fueled confusion over what to do when a child has the sniffles or complains about a headache. —

Alia Wong, USA TODAY, 11 June 2024 Once the courtroom became quiet again, all that could be heard through the whispers were the sniffles of tearful grieving family members. —

Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 20 Nov. 2023 But does a healthy younger person who lives alone and develops the sniffles need to buy a test? —

Carolyn Y. Johnson, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2023 That mysterious locution and the lack of additional details raised the possibility that something more than the sniffles might be ailing the Boss. —

Stuart Munro, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2023 If your child has a mild cold, just the sniffles, but has no fever, is not vomiting, bring him to school... —

Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2023 If your child has the sniffles, encourage them to wear a mask to prevent spreading germs. —

Sandra Gordon, Parents, 31 July 2023 Widespread confusion remains over the best practices in the event a kid has the sniffles or a stomachache, said Hedy Chang, founder and executive director of Attendance Works, a national advocacy organization. —

USA Today, 12 June 2023