sniff at
phrasal verb
sniffed at; sniffing at; sniffs at
: to show dislike or disapproval of (something) especially because one thinks it is not important or worthy of respect
Some people sniff at the idea of using fake flowers.
It's not a big profit, but it's not to be sniffed at.
Your accomplishment is nothing to sniff at.
Examples of sniff at in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That seems to mean that the dog sniffed at the package more than the others.
—
Andrew Wimer, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
The one-year-old orphaned kit stood on top of her crate and sniffed at it curiously in her enclosure.
—Jaimie Ding and Jae Hong, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Sep. 2024
Jack the golden retriever wandered from group to group, investigating tourists and their dogs, sniffing at customers' flip-flops, sandals, running shoes and otherwise ubiquitous Xtratuf rubber boots, often worn with the tops folded down to show off a colorful lining of sea creatures.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 15 Sep. 2024
In Europe, anonymity is sniffed at: Critics for Michelin’s competitor, Gault&Millau, do not go anonymously; neither do those of the London Times.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
The affordable prices are certainly a selling point — nothing in the Discover collection (not even the longer-lasting, ‘Intense’ iterations) exceeds the £12.50 mark — but the comparisons to various high-end and designer fragrances aren’t to be sniffed at.
—Jacqueline Kilikita, refinery29.com, 9 Aug. 2024
Washing your face can feel like a chore so anything that makes the experience a little more enjoyable is not to be sniffed at.
—Jacqueline Kilikita, refinery29.com, 18 June 2024
That’s nothing to sniff at, but the upgrade isn’t significant.
—Christopher Null, WIRED, 24 June 2024
Bing sniffed at it, daintily removed it from the bun, and began to chomp on it, so that the end of it wagged like a cigar.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024
Andrew Wimer, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
The one-year-old orphaned kit stood on top of her crate and sniffed at it curiously in her enclosure.
—Jaimie Ding and Jae Hong, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Sep. 2024
Jack the golden retriever wandered from group to group, investigating tourists and their dogs, sniffing at customers' flip-flops, sandals, running shoes and otherwise ubiquitous Xtratuf rubber boots, often worn with the tops folded down to show off a colorful lining of sea creatures.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 15 Sep. 2024
In Europe, anonymity is sniffed at: Critics for Michelin’s competitor, Gault&Millau, do not go anonymously; neither do those of the London Times.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
The affordable prices are certainly a selling point — nothing in the Discover collection (not even the longer-lasting, ‘Intense’ iterations) exceeds the £12.50 mark — but the comparisons to various high-end and designer fragrances aren’t to be sniffed at.
—Jacqueline Kilikita, refinery29.com, 9 Aug. 2024
Washing your face can feel like a chore so anything that makes the experience a little more enjoyable is not to be sniffed at.
—Jacqueline Kilikita, refinery29.com, 18 June 2024
That’s nothing to sniff at, but the upgrade isn’t significant.
—Christopher Null, WIRED, 24 June 2024
Bing sniffed at it, daintily removed it from the bun, and began to chomp on it, so that the end of it wagged like a cigar.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sniff at.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sniff at
Cite this Entry
“Sniff at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sniff%20at. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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