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Synonyms

sneeze

American  
[sneez] / sniz /

verb (used without object)

sneezed, sneezing

  1. to emit air or breath suddenly, forcibly, and audibly through the nose and mouth by involuntary, spasmodic action.

noun

  1. an act or sound of sneezing.

verb phrase

  1. sneeze at to treat with contempt; scorn.

    $50,000 is nothing to sneeze at.
sneeze British  
/ sniːz /

verb

  1. (intr) to expel air and nasal secretions from the nose involuntarily, esp as the result of irritation of the nasal mucous membrane

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act or sound of sneezing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • sneezeless adjective
  • sneezer noun
  • sneezy adjective

Etymology

Origin of sneeze

1485–95; earlier snese; replacing Middle English fnese, Old English fnēosan; cognate with Dutch fniezen, Old Norse fnȳsa

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Agreed. Better safe than sorry. Look before you leap. A stitch in time, a bird in the hand, a sneeze in the wind, yes?”

From Literature

I sneezed and the pixies squealed and shot away for a moment but then came back, full of squeaky chatter.

From Literature

But Fred liked being carried, and he sprayed a cool saltwater sneeze across her neck.

From Literature

Measles is a highly contagious disease which is spread by coughs and sneezes or by touching things that someone with measles has coughed or sneezed on.

From BBC

That is nothing to sneeze at—though it is dwarfed by the $13 trillion that was indexed to the S&P 500.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.