sniff

Universal Words verb, noun verb 1 [V] to breathe air in through your nose in a way that makes a sound, especially when you are crying, have a cold, etc: We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. * She sniffed a little and dabbed at her eyes. 2 ~ (at) (sth) to breathe air in through the nose in order to discover or enjoy the smell of sth: [VN] sniffing the fresh morning air * to sniff glue * [V] The dog sniffed at my shoes. seealsoGLUE-SNIFFING 3 to say sth in a complaining or disapproving way: [Vspeech] 'It's hardly what I'd call elegant,' she sniffed. [also V, VN] IDIOMS not to be sniffed at (informal) good enough to be accepted or considered seriously: In those days, $20 was not a sum to be sniffed at. PHRASALVERBS sniff around / round (informal) to try to find out information about sb/sth, especially secret information: We don't want journalists sniffing around. sniff around / round sb [nopassive] (especially BrE) to try to get sb as a lover, employee, etc: Hollywood agents have been sniffing around him. sniff at sth to show no interest in or respect for sth: He sniffed at my efforts at writing. sniff sb/sth<->out 1 to discover or find sb/sth by using your sense of smell: The dogs are trained to sniff out drugs. 2 (informal) to discover or find sb/sth by looking: Journalists are good at sniffing out a scandal. noun 1 [C] 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. 2 [sing.] ~ of sth an idea of what sth is like or that sth is going to happen: The sniff of power went to his head. * They make threats but back down at the first sniff of trouble. 3 [sing.] ~ of sth a small chance of sth: She didn't get even a sniff at a medal. IDIOMS have a (good) sniff around to examine a place carefully