How to Use sniff in a Sentence

sniff

1 of 2 verb
  • 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.
  • They can’t be sniffed over the wire.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Bomb-sniffing dogs were at the scene.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Many dogs have been trained to sniff out certain things.
    — Katie Nixon, The Tennessean, 25 Aug. 2025
  • Keep scrolling to sniff out this year's gorgeous snaps!
    — Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
  • When to go, what to look for and how to sniff out a bargain.
    — Kara Elder, Washington Post, 24 Apr. 2026
  • The dogs learn how to sniff out drugs and track down a person's scent.
    — Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Just sniff a win on a regular track.
    — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
  • But the little dog isn’t tempted to even sniff it.
    — Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
  • The dog followed me outside and sniffed the tires of my truck.
    — Literary Hub, 18 Nov. 2025
  • The dogs aren't just there to sniff out contraband.
    — Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 18 Sep. 2025
  • That’s why Michael is able to sniff out screens and bat down passes.
    — Ben Thomas | [email protected], al, 1 Aug. 2022
  • The speedy outfielder hadn’t sniffed the big leagues in five years.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Each creature took time to sniff, bite and slither around the shiny prize.
    — Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
  • 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
  • Aardvarks are known for their long, pig-like snout that is used to sniff out insects.
    — Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 28 June 2022
  • The reindeer raised his head to sniff the air, shook his head quickly, and stomped a foot.
    — Greg Borowski, jsonline.com, 15 Dec. 2022
  • Don’t put out bird feeders, as bears can sniff out birdseed from more than a mile away.
    — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 13 Sep. 2025
  • One minute your dog is sniffing happily through a spring walk.
    — Diana Bocco, USA Today, 15 May 2026
  • The cats weave around my legs and begin to sniff each other’s asses.
    — Via Chronicle Books, Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Lali walked over and sniffed Nini’s foot—a unique gesture.
    — Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
  • His nose is so powerful, it's used to sniff out cancer.
    — Felicia Faber, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
  • On land, cadaver dogs sniffed the shore for any trace of Lynette.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 6 June 2026
  • Arnold says that the changes in a person’s body odor are likely what seizure-alert dogs sniff out.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 7 July 2023
  • For now, mother bears are teaching cubs to sniff for food to take from humans.
    — Johnny Casey, USA TODAY, 12 May 2023
  • The kitchen god circled the garbage can, sniffing its contents.
    — Hiromi Kawakami, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023
  • This Heat roster doesn’t have a player who will even sniff the third team.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2026

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.
  • There are loud sniffs and some sobs.
    — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Here's what to look—and sniff—for.
    — Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 24 May 2026
  • Here's what to look—and sniff—for.
    — Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
  • Here's what to look—and sniff—for.
    — Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 20 Feb. 2026
  • If a food looks questionable, give it a good sniff.
    — Lynn Andriani, Martha Stewart, 21 Feb. 2026
  • So this was his first sniff of postseason.
    — John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 16 June 2026
  • Rub a pinch between your fingers and sniff.
    — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Is there any sniff of signings this window?
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Jacob holds a bottle of Tito’s and even takes a small sniff.
    — Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
  • Jacob holds a bottle of Tito’s and even takes a small sniff.
    — Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
  • It's followed by a pet horse, Cricket, which gives a couch a good sniff.
    — CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
  • Each shirt got an immediate sniff test.
    — Joe Jackson, Outside, 16 Mar. 2026
  • So giving your flour a sniff is a good way to test its quality—and if in doubt, toss it out!
    — Amy Sherman, Martha Stewart, 4 Mar. 2026
  • Just a steely look into the striker’s eyes and a sniff to smell his intentions.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Sometimes, one sniff of aromatic oil can do wonders for busy bees who are stressed to the max.
    — Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 29 Nov. 2022
  • While rarely looking like a team should get a sniff from the selection committee.
    — Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Recipients scratch, sniff and share.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Just a few kilometers away, a black bear sniffs and studies the device tethering it to a tree.
    — Ganesh Marín, The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025
  • From pet stores to hardware stores (with aisles as long as some street blocks), your dog will get in plenty of sniffs, pets, and some light exercise.
    — Kelsey Monstrola, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
  • As the fragrance wears, a warm, enveloping spice unfolds, inviting a closer sniff.
    — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2025
  • While the Orange declined to even offer an external sniff.
    — Brendan Marks, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
  • This was a brutal reality check; a sniff of the smelling salts Leeds have been working towards for the past two years.
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Italy cut the lead to 19-8 by halftime and was in the match but after the break France didn't give Italy a sniff.
    — ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
  • The Pitt invigorated audiences like a big sniff of smelling salts.
    — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Jan. 2026
  • The professional chef, who had never smelled her own feet before, screamed as Barrymore picked up her foot and gave it a sniff.
    — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Is that the right move for a goalie who only had a sniff of training camp and has not played in the NHL since May?
    — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Undav was a late starter to international football and never had a sniff of it until the age of 27.
    — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 21 June 2026

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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