Sniffer Meaning in English
word
Definition
A 'sniffer' is a person, animal, or device that detects smells, or a tool (especially in computing) that monitors data passing through a network.
Usage & Nuances
Informally, 'sniffer' often refers to dogs trained to detect scents (like police sniffer dogs). In tech, it is jargon for software/hardware that monitors network traffic ('packet sniffer'). The computing sense is specialized and formal/technical.
Example Sentences
The police use a sniffer dog to find drugs.
basic
A network sniffer can capture all the data sent over Wi-Fi.
basic
The dog is an excellent sniffer and can find missing people.
basic
The IT team installed a sniffer to troubleshoot the network issues.
natural
He built a homemade gas sniffer for his science project.
natural
After the breach, the company realized someone had been running a sniffer for weeks.
natural