sniffling 1 of 2

adjective

as in crying

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sniffling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of sniffle
as in whining

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sniffling
Adjective
All the readers are sneezing, sniffling, congested, feverish, or hacking up a lung. — Blythe Roberson, New Yorker, 4 June 2026 Then coughing, sniffling and full-on congestion, with or without fever, for a few insufferable days. — Mary J. Scourboutakos, The Conversation, 14 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sniffling
  1. weeping
  2. whining
  3. wailing
  4. sniveling
  5. whimpering
  6. sobbing
  7. crying
  8. blubbering
Adjective
  • And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
    — David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021
Definition of weeping
Verb
  • Stop whining and complaining, people.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 12 June 2026
  • Well, certainly a lot of whining about technology.
    — Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2026
Definition of whining
Adjective
  • Sitting opposite an old people’s home in a residential corner of Paris’ 14th arrondissement, La Santé’s unassuming presence is only given away by the occasional wailing siren as prisoners are transported to and from the site.
    — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Definition of wailing
Verb
  • The Odyssey also features the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron) and Penelope’s sniveling suitor, Antinous (Robert Pattinson), who is seeking to marry the queen and become the ruler of Ithaca.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026
  • But Flynn also oozes sniveling self-righteousness while hotly defending and petitioning for childhood innocence (amusing hints emerge that the daughter is a somewhat lazy and dim underachiever).
    — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
Definition of sniveling
Adjective
  • Multiple responders then grasped the canine by the neck and back to lift it onboard, during which the dog could be heard slightly whimpering.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Only this version of Slattery is a whimpering scaredy-cat, who unleashes the beast within at a key moment in the film.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 28 Jan. 2026
Definition of whimpering
Verb
  • Carter, who returned to her dad's house from seeing a friend shortly after he was killed, can be seen in body cam footage sobbing as she is told by police that somebody in the house was dead.
    — Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026
  • His aunt sat at the dining table, sobbing.
    — Claudia Boyd-Barrett, CBS News, 18 June 2026
Definition of sobbing
Verb
  • Three of his sons were recorded crying in the front row close to the coffins.
    — Marc Smith, NBC news, 6 July 2026
  • When some users suggested that the pictures were altered by AI, Decker simply dropped some laughing-crying face emojis.
    — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
Definition of crying
Verb
  • The pearl-clutchers are stuck in the past, blubbering over things like the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War or the Waffen-SS slaughtering 84 American soldiers captured in Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.
    — Doug McIntyre, Oc Register, 7 Dec. 2025
  • Wanting to make Lambert more than some blubbering wreck, Cartwright emphasized her common sense.
    — Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
Definition of blubbering

Browse Nearby Words

sniffles
sniffling
sniffs
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Cite this Entry

“Sniffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sniffling. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on sniffling

Nglish: Translation of sniffling for Spanish Speakers

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