Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To breathe audibly through a runny or congested nose.
  • intransitive verb To weep or whimper lightly with spasmodic congestion of the nose.
  • noun The act or sound of sniffling.
  • noun A condition, such as a head cold, accompanied by congestion of the nose. Used with the.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To snuffle.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb Prov. Eng. To snuffle, as one does with a catarrh.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb intransitive To make a whimpering or sniffing sound when breathing because of a runny nose.
  • noun The act, or the sound of sniffling; the condition of having a runny or wet nose, as from a cold or allergies.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the act of breathing heavily through the nose (as when the nose is congested)
  • verb inhale audibly through the nose
  • verb cry or whine with snuffling

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Frequentative of sniff.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

sniff +‎ -le (“early modern English frequentative suffix”)

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Examples

  • Except I think I am getting sick. * sniffle sniffle* Grargh. before | | this

    hemopoetic Diary Entry hemopoetic 2002

  • Sadly, I'm starting to get them "sniffle, sniffle*, and I hope you all can help a little!

    Yahoo! Answers: Latest Questions 2009

  • They suddenly heard a sniffle from the doorway and everyone looked up to see Jackie standing in the doorway to the control room.

    Hunger Moon: Chapter Eleven amberfocus 2008

  • I see the need (and remember well those scary years of having no health insurance -- not dragging the kids to the doctor for every sniffle, which is apparently the norm when insurance will pay the bill, facing hospital bills) ...

    seMissourian.com Headlines 2009

  • To my surprise, there were an awful lot of cocaine jokes last night, but the best was Farrell's quip that his sniffle was the result of a cold and not "that other thing, that it used to be."

    The Denver Newspaper Agency YourHub.com Stories 2009

  • On a budget-crunch. * sniffle* My next purchase will be Blaze of Memory. * sigh* So can't wait.

    Friday Book Club Nalini Singh 2009

  • I @ you quite often but you never respond. * sniffle* It's okay.

    Q&A Session and Writing Nalini Singh 2009

  • If the President can convey such a patriotic sense of possibility with vigor and meaning, he just might make the Speaker sniffle as he sits behind him on the rostrum Tuesday night.

    Jim Kennedy: Obama's Mission: Make Boehner Cry Jim Kennedy 2011

  • She made me sniffle, more often than once, usually during festive seasons.

    Global Voices in English » Malaysia: Remembering film director Yasmin Ahmad 2009

  • Star Kissed was beautiful, Nalini, but also really kind of sad. * sniffle*

    Website Updated Nalini Singh 2009

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