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Glite Dictionary
😤 A noisy breath 🤧 To breathe noisily 🐻 To sniff loudly
to snuffle

to snuffle

1 6.2
To breathe loudly through a blocked nose because of a cold or crying
  • verb
  • /ˈsnʌfəl/
translation icon : resoplar
  • One of the clerks, a plump girl with a wide mouth meant for smiling, snuffled noisily into a damp wad of tissue.
  • snuffled noisily
  • snuffled and wiped
  • snuffling and cried

Examples

  • But I hear her breathing, snuffling, snorting in her sleep just like Rosie.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Perhaps she is awake now, listening, pressing at her grey hair, snuffling and clearing her throat in hopes he'll leave.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • "I already looked," he said, snuffling, trying to control his emotions.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • "Why are you doing this?" I snuffled, pulling on my jacket halfheartedly.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Robert Wayne got a big scratch right under his nose and cried and snuffled all over it.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • "Earth," my mother said, snuffling from the perfume in the handkerchief.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Red's sobs snuffled to a stop as she considered this aspect of developments.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The sounds of shuffling coats and snuffling noses rose behind her.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • The hog stirred, snuffled, and then fell silent.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • He stood in the rain, snuffling as he tried to catch his breath after crying.

Synonyms

to sniff
vsto snuffle
266 1.0

To breathe in through the nose to smell something or because of a cold

focuses on noisy breathing from a blocked nose rather than smelling
to sniffle
vsto snuffle
18 2.3

To breathe noisily through the nose, often because of a cold or crying

is used for noisy breathing from any blocked or congested nose
to whuffle
vsto snuffle
1 9.9

To make a soft sniffing sound when looking for something

is human noisy breathing from congestion rather than animal scent searching
snuffling
vsto snuffle
6.4

Making soft repeated sniffing sounds because of a blocked or runny nose

is the same breathing but emphasizes ongoing repeated sounds
to snivel
vsto snuffle
8.1

To draw mucus up through the nose quietly

is noisy breathing through congestion rather than drawing mucus inward

How Noisy

to snuffle
1 6.2
to sniffle
18 2.3
to breathe
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

snuffle infinitive
snuffled past
snuffled past participle
snuffling present participle
snuffles third person singular

Morphology

snuffle = snuff (semi-transparent) = snuff + le

Formed from the verb 'snuff' plus the frequentative/verb-forming suffix '-le'; the relation is clear but 'snuff' has other common senses (e.g. tobacco, 'snuff out') so some learners may be uncertain.

Etymology

Snuffle copies the sound of noisy nose breathing and is like the familiar word sniff. A helpful way to remember it is to think 'to breathe noisily through a blocked or congested nose', as when you have a cold or are crying.