Meaning of sneeze in English:

sneeze

Pronunciation /sniːz/

Translate sneeze into Spanish

verb

[no object]

Make a sudden involuntary expulsion of air from the nose and mouth due to irritation of one's nostrils.
‘the smoke made her sneeze’
- ‘The same pressure may cause you to leak urine when sneezing, coughing or laughing.’
- ‘Colds typically spread through infected respiratory droplets coughed or sneezed into the air.’
- ‘The flu virus is usually spread in the small droplets of saliva coughed or sneezed into the atmosphere by an infected person.’
- ‘The paper advised parents to show children how to cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.’
- ‘The strange smell of smoke wafted up her nostrils and she sneezed.’
- ‘Their feathers brushed her face, tickling her nose and she sneezed.’
- ‘Spread by virus-infected droplets that are coughed or sneezed into the air, the flu is contagious.’
- ‘And then Wendy sneezed, she sneezed so forcefully that the door trembled slightly under her fingers.’
- ‘Her nose twitched, then she sneezed and opened her eyes and lay there, blinking contentedly in the morning light.’
- ‘I stood up quickly and sneezed as a floating dog hair fell into my nose.’
- ‘She sighed and stood up, then her nose started to curl up as she sneezed and coughed.’
- ‘There were feathers under her nose and they tickled so she sneezed again.’
- ‘Everyone is sneezing and very few people can breathe properly.’
- ‘I tried to keep up with him, sneezing and trying to catch my breath and calm my heart.’
- ‘She sneezed, then held her breath for a few seconds in case the noise had betrayed her to anyone.’
- ‘My head is starting to feel like it's going to explode and I'm sneezing like crazy.’
- ‘Rolling and stumbling, they fell off the table, sneezing terribly.’
- ‘She'd give you detention for sneezing in her class, coughing or even loud breathing.’
- ‘He'll start sneezing, and that will turn to wheezing, and that will turn to coughing.’
- ‘The horse had an allergic reaction and began sneezing uncontrollably with me on his back.’

noun

An act or the sound of sneezing.
‘he stopped a sudden sneeze’
- ‘Suddenly, more sounds of sneezes reached my ears as Angela and Sara pounded into my room, both their noses tinged slightly pink and twitching, rabbit-like.’
- ‘Just then, from the sleeping alcove, came the unmistakable sound of sneezes.’
- ‘The sound of the sneeze seemed to break everyone else out of their concentration as everyone else was staring at their direction.’
- ‘However, I had barely taken two steps when I heard the unmistakable sound of a sneeze behind me.’
- ‘The slightest sound, even a sneeze or the creaking of her basket woke her up.’
- ‘The refrigerator in his new flat has the sound of a sneeze when it comes on.’
- ‘Unlike some people, I can't entirely stop my sneezes from coming when they invade my nose.’
- ‘A runny nose, a sneeze, and some mucus in the eyes might be all that signals the disease's arrival.’
- ‘These drops are expelled when the infected person talks, laughs, sneezes, or coughs.’
- ‘When you have a cold, you usually feel tired and have a sneeze, cough, and runny nose.’
- ‘As he spoke, he sprinkled something on her nose, making her sneeze.’
- ‘Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.’
- ‘It was a mellow sneeze from a nose at peace with itself, contented as the coo of a pigeon.’
- ‘These may become airborne when the person sneezes, coughs, or laughs.’
- ‘If the vaccinee sneezes after administration, the dose should not be repeated.’
- ‘How often have you told your children to wash their hands before dinner, after they cover a sneeze, or after they go to the bathroom?’
- ‘What is the best way for scrub personnel to handle a sneeze during a surgical procedure?’
- ‘He took in deep breaths of air, which sound like the start of a sneeze.’
- ‘Then, if the original bone mass in one's teen years was low, a slip on the ice, a hug, or even a sneeze can cause a fracture.’
- ‘With regular flu, a single sneeze ejects millions of tiny viruses into the air.’

Phrases

not to be sneezed at

informal

Not to be rejected without careful consideration; worth having or taking into account.
- ‘a saving of £550 was not to be sneezed at’
- ‘I'm not prejudging the result of the investigation but £70,000 is not to be sneezed at for them.’
- ‘Fuel consumption figures for the combined cycle are a healthy 49 mpg - not to be sneezed at, especially with ever-increasing petrol prices.’
- ‘It also accounts for about 20% of industrial employment, which is not to be sneezed at given the strong presence of multinationals in the sector.’
- ‘Over a gig that lasted a good two and a half hours - not to be sneezed at in this day and age - about two thirds of his set consisted of the new material that was the purported reason for this mini-tour in the first place.’
- ‘Of course, the conductor's role is not to be sneezed at here.’
- ‘Finally, it protects against the state reneging on its promises which, given the history of pensions, is not to be sneezed at.’
- ‘This extra 15% is certainly not to be sneezed at.’
- ‘The 15,000 pound prize awarded to the laureate is not to be sneezed at but the chance of working with the London Symphony Orchestra for a year is to dream of.’
- ‘The company is expected to grow profits by 17% in 2004, which in a low-growth economy is not to be sneezed at.’
- ‘This cost is not to be sneezed at and can be as much as 3,5% of the total value of your estate.’

Origin

Middle English apparently an alteration of Middle English fnese due to misreading or misprinting (after initial fn- had become unfamiliar), later adopted because it sounded appropriate.