[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/sniff/)

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# sniff

verb (sniff, sniffs, sniffed, sniffing); noun (a sniff, sniffs)

«sniff» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To sniff means to breathe in quickly through your nose, so that you make a small sound. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sniff/#m1)
2. To sniff something means to smell it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sniff/#m2)
3. To sniff can mean to breathe in noisily when you have a cold or are crying. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sniff/#m3)
4. A sniff is the act or sound of sniffing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sniff/#m4)

### 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 →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sniff/#x1)
- Stop sniffing and blow your nose. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sniff/#x2)
- She sniffed the flowers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sniff/#x3)
- Let the dog sniff your hand first. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sniff/#x4)
- Never sniff chemicals or glue. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sniff/#x5)
- He gave a sad little sniff. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sniff/#x6)
- The fox sniffed the air for danger. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sniff/#x7)
- She raised it to her nose and sniffed at it again and again. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sniff/#x8)

### 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.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «sniff» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sniff/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«sniff» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sniff.html) on Mova free.