Word.ws English Dictionary

on the sniff

on the sniff prepositional phrase: in search of a sex partner.

Prepositional phrase

  1. (UK, slang, vulgar) In search of a sex partner.
    • But the fact that online “dating” was a euphemism for ACTION, the same way as walking into a bar is a sign that you're out on the sniff, suited me just fine.2011, Autumn Stephens, Roar Softly and Carry a Great Lipstick, page 56
    • Ed stayed leaning in and after signalling to the others to do the same, he inclined his head towards the girls at the adjacent table. 'West End's heaving with that sort on a Saturday night,' he said. 'Office girls out on the sniff.'2012, Mark Billingham, Rush of Blood

Questions about on the sniff

What does on the sniff mean?
On the sniff means in search of a sex partner.
What part of speech is on the sniff?
On the sniff is a prepositional phrase.

Words near on the sniff in the dictionary

  1. on the side of the angels
  2. on the skew
  3. on the skids
  4. on the slide
  5. on the sly
  6. on the sniff
  7. on the spectrum
  8. on the spin
  9. on the spot
  10. on the square
  11. on the stand

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: on the sniff (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “on the sniff.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/on_the_sniff. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.