- [countable] an act or the sound of sniffing
- She took a deep sniff of the perfume.
- My mother gave a sniff of disapproval.
- His sobs soon turned to sniffs.
Extra Examples- ‘I'm sorry,’ he said between sniffs.
- The dog had a good sniff at the bushes around the garden.
- to get a sniff of fresh air
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- deep
- good
- long
- …
- give
- hear
- get
- …
- between sniffs
- with a sniff
- sniff at
- …
Definitions on the go
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- [singular] sniff of something an idea of what something is like or that something is going to happen
- The sniff of power went to his head.
- They make threats but back down at the first sniff of trouble.
- [singular] sniff of something a small chance of something
- She didn't get even a sniff at a medal.
Word OriginMiddle English: imitative.
Idioms
See sniff in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryhave a (good) sniff around
- to examine a place carefully
Check pronunciation:
sniff