snuffle

S1N1U1F4F4L1E1
/ˈsnʌfəl/

verb

To sniff or smell with the nose loudly and audibly.

Similar
snifflesnivelsnuffblubberblub
OriginDutch snuffelen →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

verbsnuffle (third-person singular simple present snuffles, present participle snuffling, simple past and past participle snuffled)

present singular third person snuffles · participle present snuffling · participle past snuffled · past snuffled

  1. intransitiveTo sniff or smell with the nose loudly and audibly.
  2. intransitiveTo speak through the nose; to breathe through the nose when it is obstructed, so as to make a broken sound.

    One clad in purple / Eats, and recites some lamentable rhyme […] / Snuffling at nose, and croaking in his throat.

    1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The First Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC
nounsnuffle (plural snuffles)

plural snuffles

  1. An act of snuffling; sniffing loudly.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe act of breathing heavily through the nose (as when the nose is congested)

Similar
snifflesnivel
Broader
breathingexternal respirationrespiration

verbsniff or smell inquiringly

Similar
snuff
Broader
smell

verbsnuff up mucus through the nose

Similar
snivel
Broader
inhaleinspirebreathe in

verbcry or whine with snuffling

Similar
snivelsniffleblubberblub
Broader
cryweep
Also see
blubblubbersnifflesnivelsnuff

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Dutchsnuffelen“to snuffle”
  2. Englishsnuffle

Probably from Low German and Dutch snuffelen (“to snuffle”), equivalent to snuff + -le. Compare also Old English snofl (“snot, nasal mucus”), which might not have survived into Middle English.

More words from Dutch

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian сумтя, сумтене
  • сумтя (sumtja)to sniff loudly
  • сумтене (sumtene)instance of sniffing loudly
Chinese Mandarin 抽鼻子, 齉
  • 抽鼻子 (chōubízi)to sniff loudly
  • 齉 (nàng)instance of sniffing loudly
Finnish nuuhkaista, nuuhkia
  • nuuhkaistato sniff loudly
  • nuuhkiato sniff loudly
  • nuuskiato sniff loudly
  • nuuhkaisuinstance of sniffing loudly
  • nuuskintainstance of sniffing loudly
  • nuuhkintainstance of sniffing loudly
French renifler, reniflement
  • reniflerto sniff loudly
  • reniflementinstance of sniffing loudly
Māori kuruwhengu, peru
  • kuruwhenguto sniff loudly
  • peruto sniff loudly
  • kurahengato sniff loudly
  • whenguwhenguto sniff loudly
  • whenguwhenguinstance of sniffing loudly
  • kuruwhenguinstance of sniffing loudly
  • kurahengainstance of sniffing loudly
Russian сопеть
  • сопеть (sopetʹ)to sniff loudly
Ukrainian сопіти, шморгати
  • сопіти (sopity)to sniff loudly
  • шморгати (šmorhaty)to sniff loudly
  • гугнявити (huhnjavyty)to speak through the nose

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with snuffle

shuffleduffelruffletrufflereshufflescufflekerfufflemufflebuffleflufflescrufflewhuffleZarrow shuffle
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

snuffle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snuffle

MLA

“snuffle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snuffle. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “snuffle,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snuffle.

Source: snuffle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.