sniffer

IPA/ˈsnɪf.ər/
KK[snˈɪfɚ]IPA/ˈsnɪf.ɚ/

sniffer — noun

  • sniffersingular
  • sniffersplural

1. A dog that has been trained for finding illegal items, including drugs and explo

1.名詞A2
釋義

A dog that has been trained for finding illegal items, including drugs and explosives, or for locating people who are lost, by following scents carried in the air or left along the ground.

例句

The police sniffer found the hidden drugs inside a suitcase at the airport.

role compound: police sniffer / customs sniffer

Zuri watched the sniffer walk slowly around the luggage, searching for a familiar scent.

同義詞
  • detection dog

    more formal, used in official and training contexts

  • sniffer dog

    equally common, especially in British English

  • tracker dog

    focuses specifically on following a trail or track

文法句型

[police/customs/army] + sniffer

sniffer + dog

用法筆記

This is the most common sense of 'sniffer' in everyday language. Often appears as 'sniffer dog' especially in British English. Many different dog breeds can be trained for this role.

常見錯誤

❌The sniffer dog is a specific breed.
✅Many dog breeds can be trained as sniffers.
💡Sniffers are trained for a role, not born as a particular breed.

2. A person who breathes in chemical substances such as glue or solvents through th

2.名詞B1
釋義

A person who breathes in chemical substances such as glue or solvents through the nose to get a short-lived feeling of intoxication.

例句

The social worker helped the young glue sniffer find a place in a rehabilitation programme.

collocation: glue sniffer / solvent sniffer

Police found two solvent sniffers sleeping in the back of the abandoned cinema.

同義詞

文法句型

sniffer + of + [chemical/substance]

用法筆記

Often appears in compounds such as 'glue sniffer' and 'solvent sniffer'. This usage carries a negative social judgment and is not neutral.

常見錯誤

❌The heroin sniffer was arrested.
✅The glue sniffer was taken to a clinic.
💡'sniffer' in this sense typically refers to inhaling household chemicals like glue, not injecting or smoking drugs.

3. A person who uses their nose to judge the quality or character of something, esp

3.名詞B1
釋義

A person who uses their nose to judge the quality or character of something, especially wine, perfume, tea, or food.

例句

The professional wine sniffer spent a full minute smelling the glass before speaking.

professional compound: wine sniffer

As a perfume sniffer for a Paris company, Talia tests eight new scents each week.

同義詞
  • taster

    more general, also used for food prepared for eating

  • smeller

    less formal, less commonly used in professional settings

  • evaluator

    more formal, broader than smell alone

文法句型

[type] + sniffer — e.g. wine sniffer, perfume sniffer

用法筆記

Commonly used in professional job titles such as 'wine sniffer', 'perfume sniffer', or 'tea sniffer'. The term is neutral to positive in these contexts.

4. A tool or machine that detects the presence of particular gases, chemicals, or s

4.名詞B1
釋義

A tool or machine that detects the presence of particular gases, chemicals, or smoke by sampling the surrounding air.

例句

The gas sniffer in the laboratory beeped loudly when it detected a small leak.

compound: gas sniffer / chemical sniffer

Firefighters carried a portable smoke sniffer into the building to find the fire.

同義詞
  • detector

    more common and broader in meaning

  • sensor

    technical term for any measurement device

  • monitor

    suggests continuous observation rather than one-time detection

文法句型

[gas/chemical/smoke] + sniffer

sniffer + for + [target]

5. A piece of software that captures and inspects information travelling between co

5.名詞B2
釋義

A piece of software that captures and inspects information travelling between computers or devices connected to the same network.

例句

The IT team used a packet sniffer to find the source of the network slowdown.

technical compound: packet sniffer / network sniffer

Network administrators rely on a sniffer to detect unusual activity on the company system.

同義詞

文法句型

packet sniffer

network sniffer

sniffer + program/software

用法筆記

Common in computing and IT security contexts. Often appears in the compound 'packet sniffer'. Sniffers can be used for legitimate network troubleshooting or for malicious eavesdropping.

常見錯誤

❌The sniffer program crashed my computer.
✅The packet sniffer slowed down the network traffic.
💡The sniffer itself observes traffic and does not directly cause a crash.

6. A playful or humorous word for a person's nose, the part of the face used for br

6.名詞B1
釋義

A playful or humorous word for a person's nose, the part of the face used for breathing and smelling.

例句

The boxer's sniffer was still swollen three days after the fight ended.

possessive + sniffer for humorous effect

"Keep your sniffer out of my business!" Yasmin shouted at her nosy neighbour.

同義詞
  • nose

    neutral and standard, appropriate in all contexts

  • beak

    slang, often used humorously for a large or prominent nose

  • hooter

    slang, less common, chiefly British

文法句型

possessive + sniffer — e.g. his sniffer, your sniffer

用法筆記

Used in light-hearted, affectionate, or mildly teasing contexts. Avoid in formal writing, medical descriptions, or serious conversation.