SNIFF OUT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sniff out mean? 

• SNIFF OUT (verb)
  The verb SNIFF OUT has 1 sense:

1. recognize or detect by or as if by smelling

  Familiarity information: SNIFF OUT used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SNIFF OUT (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Recognize or detect by or as if by smelling

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

nose out; scent out; smell out; sniff out

Context example:

He can smell out trouble

"Sniff out" entails doing...:

smell (inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

 Context examples 

Lindsay also sees the possibility that dogs like Freya could sniff out a host of other infectious diseases.

(The Dog's Nose Knows Malaria, Kevin Enochs/VOA)

The ability to sniff out mates with different immune genes could make their offspring's immune systems more diverse and able to fight more pathogens, said first author Kathleen Grogan, who did the research while working on her doctorate with professor Christine Drea at Duke.

(Lemurs can smell whether a mate's immune genes are a good match, National Science Foundation)

Lindsay points out that dogs are already being used to sniff out diseases like cancers, and Parkinson's disease.

(The Dog's Nose Knows Malaria, Kevin Enochs/VOA)

Lindsay sees a future where malaria-sniffing dogs greet travelers at ports of entry, helping medical personnel sniff out infected travelers.

(The Dog's Nose Knows Malaria, Kevin Enochs/VOA)

That means she has a hit, and in a new study published Monday, researchers from Durham University in England say Freya can sniff out malaria with 70 percent accuracy.

(The Dog's Nose Knows Malaria, Kevin Enochs/VOA)

Lead investigator Steve Lindsay says he got the idea for training dogs to sniff out malaria after a visit overseas, when he saw dogs sniffing for all kinds of contraband.

(The Dog's Nose Knows Malaria, Kevin Enochs/VOA)