sniff out

Verb

sniff out (third-person singular simple present sniffs out, present participle sniffing out, simple past and past participle sniffed out)

1. (transitive) To find (something) by using the sense of smell.
   • Because they have far more powerful noses than humans, dogs are ideal to sniff out drugs.
2. (broadly, figuratively, transitive) To detect (something hidden or invisible).
   • Near-synonyms: ferret out, weasel out
   • Luisa Rey plays the ditzy reporter on her best behavior to assure Fay Li she poses no threat. Only then might she be given a free enough rein to sniff out Sixsmith’s fellow dissidents.2004, David Mitchell, “Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery”, in Cloud Atlas, →ISBN, page 130

   Synonyms:

   ferret out, weasel out