sniff at

phrasal verb

sniffed at; sniffing at; sniffs at

: to show dislike or disapproval of (something) especially because one thinks it is not important or worthy of respect

Some people sniff at the idea of using fake flowers.

It's not a big profit, but it's not to be sniffed at.

Your accomplishment is nothing to sniff at.

Examples of sniff at in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Back to back European Cup wins are not be sniffed at (only two UK clubs have ever done it) and the leap from second tier to B2B winners in Europe will never be repeated. —Paul Taylor, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025

Bregman's numbers at Fenway Park are nothing to sniff at. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025

In less than 12 seconds, Alan considered Sandoval’s desperate desire to be a Faithful, sniffed at his plaid kilt, and called him out for his infidelity. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2025

However, those users will also be exposed to branding from companies Google cites as sources, effectively endorsing their websites as trustworthy sources (something definitely not to be sniffed at). —Nick Brown, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025

The large character begins sniffing at the camera, as though sniffing at the viewer, spooking Rodney. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024

Center Joe Tippmann held up well against Lawrence, which is nothing to sniff at. —Zack Rosenblatt, The Athletic, 21 Aug. 2024

Toodle and Fran immediately come to check out the new arrival, sniffing at the box and even having a curious chew on the leaves. —Rachael O'Connor, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

The OnePlus sale means that Google, Samsung and the Chinese company are currently running sales that shouldn’t be sniffed at. —Janhoi McGregor, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

Rhymes for sniff at

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat