sniffing out
Finding by smell
Sniffing out means discovering something through determined investigation, like a dog following a scent.
Reporters sniff out corruption, detectives sniff out leads, bargain hunters sniff out deals.
The phrase suggests patient, methodical searching rather than stumbling upon something: She has a talent for sniffing out hypocrisy.
- smellOlfactory perception
- scentAirborne odor detected
- detectingPerceiving something present
- olfactionSense of scent detection
- uncoveringRevealing something hidden
aroma · sleuthing · rooting out · rooting around · deducing · identifying · probing · intuition · tracking · bloodhound · drug dog · odor · searching · investigating · insight · analyzing · discernment · examining
- searchingsearching, rummaging, digging, looking through, finding
- retrievalfetch, fetching, retrieving, recovering, reclaiming
sniffing outhiding
Staying out of sight
concealing · covering up · burying · masking · obscuring
sniffing outoverlooking
Failing to see or consider
missing · ignoring · disregarding · turning a blind eye · neglecting
sniff, sniffed, sniffs, sniffer, sniffers, sniffing, outing, outs, outermost