sniffle
/ˈsnɪf.əl/ verb, noun
Forms sniffles sniffling sniffled
- verb (intransitive) To make a whimpering or sniffing sound when breathing, because of a runny nose. “Her dad heard her sniffling and passed her a handkerchief.”
- verb (transitive) To utter with a whimpering or sniffing sound. “He sniffled a pathetic apology.”
- noun The act, or the sound of sniffling; the condition of having a runny or wet nose, as from a cold or allergies. “I sometimes have a sniffle during allergy season.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From sniff + -le (frequentative suffix). Compare snivel.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Freq. of sniff. See Snivel.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sniffle”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details