Definition

Noun: 1. A person who sniffs: An individual who inhales or smells something, often repeatedly or audibly, through the nose. This can refer to someone detecting a scent, someone using their sense of smell for a specific purpose, or, in a specific context, a person who inhales volatile substances (like glue or solvents) to become intoxicated. 2. A device that detects or analyzes something: While the primary definition refers to a person, in technical contexts, "sniffer" can also refer to a device or program (e.g., packet sniffer) that monitors or intercepts data. However, this is a specialized, compound usage.

Usage Examples

• The dog trainer is an expert sniffer, able to identify subtle scent trails.
• Police arrested the sniffer for inhaling toxic fumes from a rag.
• (Contextual note: The technical meaning of a device is usually part of a compound term like "packet sniffer.")

Advanced Usage

• "Sniffer dog": This is a common compound term for a dog trained to use its sense of smell to detect substances like drugs or explosives. The word "sniffer" here functions attributively.
  • The airport security team uses a sniffer dog to check luggage.

Variants and Related Words

• Sniff (verb): To inhale air through the nose audibly and quickly to detect a smell or as an expression of emotion (e.g., disdain, a cold).
• Sniffy (adjective): Disdainful or scornful.
• Packet sniffer (noun): A software tool that captures data packets traveling over a network.

Synonyms

• Inhaler (specifically for the substance abuse context)
• Smeller

Related Phrases

• To have a good sniff around: To investigate or explore an area using one's sense of smell or, figuratively, to look around carefully.
  • The detective had a good sniff around the crime scene.

Noun

1. a person who sniffs