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| Date: | 1300-1400 |
| Origin: | From the sound |
Related topics:1 [intransitive] to breathe air into your nose noisily, for example when you are crying or have a cold : 
Margaret sniffed miserably and nodded.Stop sniffing and blow your nose.
Margaret sniffed miserably and nodded.Stop sniffing and blow your nose.2 [intransitive and transitive] to breathe air in through your nose in order to smell something : He opened the milk and sniffed it.
He opened the milk and sniffed it.3 [transitive] to say something in a way that shows you think something is not good enough : 'Is that all?' she sniffed.
'Is that all?' she sniffed.4 [transitive]MDD to take a harmful drug by breathing it up your nose [↪ snort]: kids who sniff glue
kids who sniff gluesniff at something
phrasal verb1 used to say that something is good enough to be accepted or considered seriously : An 8% salary increase is not to be sniffed at.
something is not to be sniffed at
spoken especially British EnglishAn 8% salary increase is not to be sniffed at.2 to refuse something in a proud way, or behave as if something is not good enough for you : He sniffed at my choice of restaurants and suggested his own favorite.
He sniffed at my choice of restaurants and suggested his own favorite.sniff something ↔ out
phrasal verb1 to discover or find something by its smell : A customs officer came round with a dog to sniff out drugs.
A customs officer came round with a dog to sniff out drugs.2 informal to find out or discover something : Vic's been trying to sniff out where you went last night.
Vic's been trying to sniff out where you went last night.WORD FOCUS: breathe 
WORD FOCUS: breathe
to breathe in: inhale formal
to breathe out: exhale formal
to breathe noisily: sniff, snore (when sleeping)
snort, sigh
to breathe with difficulty: gasp, pant, wheeze, be short of breath, be out of breath
to be unable to breathe: choke, suffocatebreathe
➔ See also breathe
WORD FOCUS: breathe to breathe in: inhale formal
to breathe out: exhale formal
to breathe noisily: sniff, snore (when sleeping)
snort, sigh
to breathe with difficulty: gasp, pant, wheeze, be short of breath, be out of breath
to be unable to breathe: choke, suffocatebreathe
➔ See also breathe
