sniffling 1 of 2

adjective

as in crying

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sniffling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of sniffle
as in whining

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sniffling
Adjective
All the readers are sneezing, sniffling, congested, feverish, or hacking up a lung. — Blythe Roberson, New Yorker, 4 June 2026 Then coughing, sniffling and full-on congestion, with or without fever, for a few insufferable days. — Mary J. Scourboutakos, The Conversation, 14 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sniffling
  1. crying
  2. whining
  3. weeping
  4. sniveling
  5. wailing
  6. sobbing
  7. whimpering
  8. blubbering
Adjective
  • Some in the pro-crying camp pointed to articles and headlines as proof.
    — Jon Sarlin, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of crying
Verb
  • While the left spent all week whining about Sophie Cunningham's hat and firing squad best practices, us PATRIOTS were biding our time, keeping our heads down, and grinding towards another weekend.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Dogs may actually improve our sleep habits by forcing us to adjust to consistent bedtime schedules — as anyone with a sleepy, whining dog can confirm.
    — Gina Vivinetto, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of whining
Adjective
  • And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
    — David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021
Definition of weeping
Verb
  • And Dastmalchian, who portrays Bison with an emphasis on sniveling evil, struggles to quietly undercut the character’s cartoonishly menacing getup.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Dostoyevsky’s sniveling devil comes closest to portraying the man chiefly responsible for organizing the Final Solution.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of sniveling
Adjective
  • Sitting opposite an old people’s home in a residential corner of Paris’ 14th arrondissement, La Santé’s unassuming presence is only given away by the occasional wailing siren as prisoners are transported to and from the site.
    — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Definition of wailing
Verb
  • Zheng clinched with her first match point chance, serving an ace to Andreeva’s backhand side, then fell to the court sobbing with emotion.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Images of an angry and sobbing Brown became the media’s hallmark of grief during the criminal trial, particularly when Simpson was acquitted in 1995.
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of sobbing
Adjective
  • Multiple responders then grasped the canine by the neck and back to lift it onboard, during which the dog could be heard slightly whimpering.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Only this version of Slattery is a whimpering scaredy-cat, who unleashes the beast within at a key moment in the film.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 28 Jan. 2026
Definition of whimpering
Verb
  • The pearl-clutchers are stuck in the past, blubbering over things like the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War or the Waffen-SS slaughtering 84 American soldiers captured in Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.
    — Doug McIntyre, Oc Register, 7 Dec. 2025
  • Wanting to make Lambert more than some blubbering wreck, Cartwright emphasized her common sense.
    — Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
Definition of blubbering

Browse Nearby Words

sniffles
sniffling
sniffs
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Cite this Entry

“Sniffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sniffling. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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