"sniff out" meaning in All languages combined

See sniff out on Wiktionary

Verb [English]

Forms: sniffs out [present, singular, third-person], sniffing out [participle, present], sniffed out [participle, past], sniffed out [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} sniff out (third-person singular simple present sniffs out, present participle sniffing out, simple past and past participle sniffed out)
  1. (transitive) To find (something) by using the sense of smell. Tags: transitive Translations (find): 找出 (zhǎochū) (Chinese Mandarin), kiszimatol (Hungarian), trovare (Italian), scovare (Italian), 嗅ぎ付ける (kagitsukeru) (alt: かぎつける) (Japanese), węszyć [imperfective] (Polish), wywęszyć [perfective] (Polish), niuchać [imperfective] (Polish), wyniuchać [perfective] (Polish), farejar (Portuguese), выню́хивать (vynjúxivatʹ) [imperfective] (Russian), вы́нюхать (výnjuxatʹ) [perfective] (Russian), разню́хивать (raznjúxivatʹ) [imperfective] (Russian), разню́хать (raznjúxatʹ) [perfective] (Russian) Translations (find something using smell): يَشُمّ (yašumm) (Arabic), يَكْتَشِف (yaktašif) (Arabic), عَثَر عَلَى (ʕaṯar ʕalā) (Arabic), 嗅出 (xiùchū) (Chinese Mandarin), nuuskia (Finnish), kiszimatol (Hungarian), 嗅ぎ付ける (kagitsukeru) (alt: かぎつける) (Japanese), węszyć [imperfective] (Polish), wywęszyć [perfective] (Polish), niuchać [imperfective] (Polish), wyniuchać [perfective] (Polish), farejar (Portuguese), выню́хивать (vynjúxivatʹ) [imperfective] (Russian), вы́нюхать (výnjuxatʹ) [perfective] (Russian)
    Sense id: en-sniff_out-en-verb-4KmFXIYi Categories (other): Smell Disambiguation of Smell: 75 25 Disambiguation of 'find': 68 32 Disambiguation of 'find something using smell': 77 23
  2. (transitive, figurative, by extension) To detect (something hidden or invisible). Tags: broadly, figuratively, transitive Synonyms: ferret out, weasel out
    Sense id: en-sniff_out-en-verb-ApGBvkBA Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English phrasal verbs formed with "out", Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Arabic translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Japanese translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Russian translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 12 88 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs formed with "out": 17 83 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 13 87 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 12 88 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 9 91 Disambiguation of Terms with Arabic translations: 15 85 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 15 85 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 17 83 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 15 85 Disambiguation of Terms with Japanese translations: 15 85 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 16 84 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 18 82 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 15 85 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 13 87
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: scent hound, suss out

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sniffs out",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sniffing out",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sniffed out",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sniffed out",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "sniff out (third-person singular simple present sniffs out, present participle sniffing out, simple past and past participle sniffed out)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "45 55",
      "word": "scent hound"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "45 55",
      "word": "suss out"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "75 25",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Smell",
          "orig": "en:Smell",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              73,
              82
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Because they have far more powerful noses than humans, dogs are ideal to sniff out drugs.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To find (something) by using the sense of smell."
      ],
      "id": "en-sniff_out-en-verb-4KmFXIYi",
      "links": [
        [
          "smell",
          "smell"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To find (something) by using the sense of smell."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "lang_code": "ar",
          "roman": "yašumm",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "word": "يَشُمّ"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "lang_code": "ar",
          "roman": "yaktašif",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "word": "يَكْتَشِف"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "lang_code": "ar",
          "roman": "ʕaṯar ʕalā",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "word": "عَثَر عَلَى"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "lang_code": "cmn",
          "roman": "xiùchū",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "word": "嗅出"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "word": "nuuskia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "word": "kiszimatol"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "alt": "かぎつける",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "lang_code": "ja",
          "roman": "kagitsukeru",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "word": "嗅ぎ付ける"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "węszyć"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "wywęszyć"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "niuchać"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "wyniuchać"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "lang_code": "pt",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "word": "farejar"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "vynjúxivatʹ",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "выню́хивать"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "výnjuxatʹ",
          "sense": "find something using smell",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "вы́нюхать"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "lang_code": "cmn",
          "roman": "zhǎochū",
          "sense": "find",
          "word": "找出"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "find",
          "word": "kiszimatol"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "lang_code": "it",
          "sense": "find",
          "word": "trovare"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "lang_code": "it",
          "sense": "find",
          "word": "scovare"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "alt": "かぎつける",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "lang_code": "ja",
          "roman": "kagitsukeru",
          "sense": "find",
          "word": "嗅ぎ付ける"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "find",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "węszyć"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "find",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "wywęszyć"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "find",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "niuchać"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "find",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "wyniuchać"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "lang_code": "pt",
          "sense": "find",
          "word": "farejar"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "vynjúxivatʹ",
          "sense": "find",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "выню́хивать"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "výnjuxatʹ",
          "sense": "find",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "вы́нюхать"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "raznjúxivatʹ",
          "sense": "find",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "разню́хивать"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "raznjúxatʹ",
          "sense": "find",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "разню́хать"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "12 88",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "17 83",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"out\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "13 87",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "12 88",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "15 85",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Arabic translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "15 85",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "17 83",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "15 85",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "15 85",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Japanese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "16 84",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "18 82",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "15 85",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "13 87",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Near-synonyms: ferret out, weasel out"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              145,
              154
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2004, David Mitchell, “Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery”, in Cloud Atlas, →ISBN, page 130:",
          "text": "Luisa Rey plays the ditzy reporter on her best behavior to assure Fay Li she poses no threat. Only then might she be given a free enough rein to sniff out Sixsmith’s fellow dissidents.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To detect (something hidden or invisible)."
      ],
      "id": "en-sniff_out-en-verb-ApGBvkBA",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, figurative, by extension) To detect (something hidden or invisible)."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "ferret out"
        },
        {
          "word": "weasel out"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "figuratively",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "sniff out"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs formed with \"out\"",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Arabic translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Japanese translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "en:Smell"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sniffs out",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sniffing out",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sniffed out",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sniffed out",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "sniff out (third-person singular simple present sniffs out, present participle sniffing out, simple past and past participle sniffed out)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "scent hound"
    },
    {
      "word": "suss out"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              73,
              82
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Because they have far more powerful noses than humans, dogs are ideal to sniff out drugs.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To find (something) by using the sense of smell."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "smell",
          "smell"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To find (something) by using the sense of smell."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Near-synonyms: ferret out, weasel out"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              145,
              154
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2004, David Mitchell, “Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery”, in Cloud Atlas, →ISBN, page 130:",
          "text": "Luisa Rey plays the ditzy reporter on her best behavior to assure Fay Li she poses no threat. Only then might she be given a free enough rein to sniff out Sixsmith’s fellow dissidents.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To detect (something hidden or invisible)."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, figurative, by extension) To detect (something hidden or invisible)."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "ferret out"
        },
        {
          "word": "weasel out"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "figuratively",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "lang_code": "ar",
      "roman": "yašumm",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "word": "يَشُمّ"
    },
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "lang_code": "ar",
      "roman": "yaktašif",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "word": "يَكْتَشِف"
    },
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "lang_code": "ar",
      "roman": "ʕaṯar ʕalā",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "word": "عَثَر عَلَى"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "lang_code": "cmn",
      "roman": "xiùchū",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "word": "嗅出"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "word": "nuuskia"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "word": "kiszimatol"
    },
    {
      "alt": "かぎつける",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "roman": "kagitsukeru",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "word": "嗅ぎ付ける"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "węszyć"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "wywęszyć"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "niuchać"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "wyniuchać"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "word": "farejar"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "vynjúxivatʹ",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "выню́хивать"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "výnjuxatʹ",
      "sense": "find something using smell",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "вы́нюхать"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "lang_code": "cmn",
      "roman": "zhǎochū",
      "sense": "find",
      "word": "找出"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "find",
      "word": "kiszimatol"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "lang_code": "it",
      "sense": "find",
      "word": "trovare"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "lang_code": "it",
      "sense": "find",
      "word": "scovare"
    },
    {
      "alt": "かぎつける",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "roman": "kagitsukeru",
      "sense": "find",
      "word": "嗅ぎ付ける"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "find",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "węszyć"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "find",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "wywęszyć"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "find",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "niuchać"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "find",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "wyniuchać"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "sense": "find",
      "word": "farejar"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "vynjúxivatʹ",
      "sense": "find",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "выню́хивать"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "výnjuxatʹ",
      "sense": "find",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "вы́нюхать"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "raznjúxivatʹ",
      "sense": "find",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "разню́хивать"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "raznjúxatʹ",
      "sense": "find",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "разню́хать"
    }
  ],
  "word": "sniff out"
}

Download raw JSONL data for sniff out meaning in All languages combined (6.0kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-10-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (1a05e46 and e3d6d4e). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.