How to Use sniff in a Sentence

sniff

1 of 2 verb
Definition of sniffnext
Synonyms for sniffnext
  • The dog sniffed the carpet.
  • He held the flower up to his nose and sniffed.
  • She sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue.
  • She put perfume on her wrist and sniffed it.
  • The dogs — Zarah, 9, and Ava, 4 — are trained to sniff out explosives.
    — Courtney Tanner, The Salt Lake Tribune, 10 Nov. 2022
  • That’s why Michael is able to sniff out screens and bat down passes.
    — Ben Thomas | [email protected], al, 1 Aug. 2022
  • The best way to test whether an egg is still good is to crack it into a bowl and sniff it.
    — Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 3 Mar. 2023
  • When your dog sniffs them out, pop the plastic eggs open for him and reward him with the treat.
    — Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2024
  • The reindeer raised his head to sniff the air, shook his head quickly, and stomped a foot.
    — Greg Borowski, jsonline.com, 15 Dec. 2022
  • When Que sniffs the tube, Bontrager gives him a treat. Sniff.
    — The Indianapolis Star, 22 June 2023
  • The kitchen god circled the garbage can, sniffing its contents.
    — Hiromi Kawakami, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023
  • This is a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 12 years, let alone sniff the Super Bowl.
    — Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2023
  • On third-and-1, the Browns ran play action to Elijah Moore that the Steelers sniffed out.
    — Dan Labbe, cleveland, 19 Sep. 2023
  • Then the guys had to French kiss their own fists before Rachel took a whiff of their armpits to sniff out any pheromones.
    — Dana Rose Falcone, PEOPLE.com, 1 Aug. 2022
  • Arnold says that the changes in a person’s body odor are likely what seizure-alert dogs sniff out.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 7 July 2023
  • Aardvarks are known for their long, pig-like snout that is used to sniff out insects.
    — Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 28 June 2022
  • Felix the dog helps sniff out the best ones at Boston Hill Farm's self-pick pumpkin patch.
    — Linda Greenstein, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Oct. 2022
  • Not only is the duck fat pure culinary gold, the carcass is nothing to sniff at.
    — Hana Asbrink, Bon Appétit, 8 Nov. 2022
  • Adults can learn this at home, of course, by opening that milk carton and daring to sniff deeply.
    — Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 30 Nov. 2022
  • Hoke said what is bothersome is when the players take their eyes off a key to sniffing out the play.
    — Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
  • Another defender sniffed out the play from the weak side.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2023
  • For now, mother bears are teaching cubs to sniff for food to take from humans.
    — Johnny Casey, USA TODAY, 12 May 2023
  • With nearly 10 lined up before us, David and I sniff and read labels and taste.
    — Tamar Adler, Vogue, 18 Aug. 2022
  • Choose your metaphor: A door opens, a page turns, a window rolls down and a new dog’s sweet nose will sniff the fresh air of freedom.
    — Mariashines, cleveland, 24 July 2023
  • But there are no cops sniffing around here, just men willing and ready to bend the law to their own advantage.
    — Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 June 2023
  • Don’t let dogs sniff around these grasses; keep grass short and maintained, and look out for dry and long grasses on walks.
    — Washington Post, 4 May 2022
  • The Orioles sniffed a bit of success last year having been in the playoff hunt until the final days.
    — Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 17 Sep. 2023
  • That’s nothing to sniff at, and that’s hard for someone like me who is always up against the major labels.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Aug. 2022
  • Dozens of young pigs are sniffing, sleeping or playing.
    — Rob Stein, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024
  • Colter is the equivalent of a human bloodhound sent out to sniff out missing miscreants.
    — Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024
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sniff

2 of 2 noun
  • There was still a sniff of hope left for the team.
  • He wanted to avoid the slightest sniff of a scandal.
  • She said that she felt fine, but her sniffs and coughs told a different story.
  • Take a look and a feel and a sniff under the floor mats.
    — Josh Max, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2021
  • The walnuts, on the other hand, didn’t pass the sniff test.
    — Rick Barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2017
  • Here's a trick: Sniff your shirt sleeve on the fourth sniff, then go back to the glass.
    — cleveland, 18 Feb. 2020
  • The man takes a drink (or a sniff), then the drink takes a drink, until the drink takes the man.
    — David Von Drehle, Twin Cities, 8 Oct. 2019
  • Remember the scratch-and-sniff stickers that were all the rage in the ‘80s and ‘90s?
    — Natasha Bach, Fortune, 22 May 2018
  • The result — a broad smile, from first sniff to last sip.
    — Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2022
  • Jim Plunkett got two rings with the Raiders and doesn’t get a sniff.
    — Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Oct. 2019
  • When in doubt, ask someone close to you for a sniff test.
    — Karla L. Miller, Washington Post, 12 July 2019
  • Intrigued, the others flocked to my desk to give me a sniff.
    — Jacqueline Kilikita, refinery29.com, 26 July 2022
  • If the color and feel are to your liking, give the base of the pineapple a sniff.
    — Alex Delany, Bon Appetit, 19 Feb. 2018
  • Cut stem end off 1 chili and give the cut end a careful sniff.
    — J. J. Goode, The New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2022
  • Peek under the mats, give a good sniff and put your palm down on the bare floor.
    — Josh Max, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2021
  • After each sniff, the dog looked back up at the handler.
    — Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 24 Apr. 2023
  • The first sniff fills the nose with scents of bergamot orange, fresh-baked bread and a touch of earth.
    — Michael Alberty | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 22 Dec. 2020
  • Also, the more fragrant the fruit, the more flavorful the zest, so give it a sniff.
    — Darlene Zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, 20 Jan. 2018
  • Before biting in, break a piece off and give it a sniff.
    — Melissa Clark, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2020
  • And yet, year after year, Mullen couldn't get much of a sniff on the coaching carousel.
    — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 8 Nov. 2021
  • The first sniff produces scents of fresh-baked bread, loam, chalk, rhubarb pie and apples.
    — Michael Alberty | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 9 Oct. 2021
  • The Senators, by the way, lost Game 7 of the Cup semis that spring and haven’t had a sniff of the postseason since.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 7 Apr. 2021
  • One of those daughters sneaks a sniff of Bean’s hard cider instead of a swig.
    — The Politics Of Everything, The New Republic, 15 Mar. 2023
  • Some walk by, while others pause to take a sniff or use the nearby tree for a back rub.
    — Casey Smith, National Geographic, 7 July 2017
  • Better to give either or both the stem and blossom end a good sniff.
    — Bill St. John, The Denver Post, 2 July 2019
  • Their dogs jostled in the backseat for a welcome sniff.
    — Claire Stremple, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Mar. 2021
  • UMass never let the Huskies off the leash, never gave them as much as a sniff at a comeback.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 10 Apr. 2021
  • Karate was a staple for the four oldest, though Rashida gave it a brief sniff.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 11 June 2021
  • Elordi gave one of the candles a good sniff — and a slurp — during his recent appearance on The Tonight Show.
    — Shania Russell, EW.com, 21 Jan. 2024
  • And do a sniff test when checking out a washing machine — a musty odor could be a sign of mold, Papantoniou warns.
    — Daniel Bortz, Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sniff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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