sneeze

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

sneeze, v. i. [OE. snesen; of uncertain origin; cf. D. snuse to sniff, E. neese, and AS. fneósan.].

 To emit air, chiefly through the nose, audibly and violently, by a kind of involuntary convulsive force, occasioned by irritation of the inner membrane of the nose.  [1913 Webster]

Not to be sneezed at, not to be despised or contemned; not to be treated lightly. [Colloq.] “He had to do with old women who were not to be sneezed at.” Prof. Wilson.

sneeze, n. 

 A sudden and violent ejection of air with an audible sound, chiefly through the nose.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

sneeze, n. & v.
--n.
1 a sudden involuntary expulsion of air from the nose and mouth caused by irritation of the nostrils.
2 the sound of this.
--v.intr. make a sneeze.

Idiom

not to be sneezed at colloq. not contemptible; considerable; notable.

Derivative

sneezer n. sneezy adj.

Etymology

ME snese, app. alt. of obs. fnese f. OE -fnesan, ON fn|sa & replacing earlier and less expressive nese

THESAURUS

sneeze

Aqua-Lung, artificial respiration, aspiration, assibilate, assibilation, asthmatic wheeze, blow, breath, breath of air, breathe, breathe hard, breathe in, breathe out, breathing, broken wind, buzz, cough, effervesce, effervescence, effervescing, exhalation, exhale, exhaust, expel, expiration, expire, exsufflation, fizz, fizzle, fizzling, frication, frictional rustling, gasp, gulp, hack, hiccup, hiss, hissing, huff, hush, hushing, inhalation, inhalator, inhale, inspiration, inspire, insufflation, iron lung, lisp, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, oxygen mask, oxygen tent, pant, puff, respiration, respire, rhonchus, scuba, shush, shushing, sibilance, sibilate, sibilation, siffle, sigh, sigmatism, siss, sissing, sizz, sizzle, sizzling, sneer, sneeze at, sneezing, sniff, sniffle, snore, snoring, snort, snuff, snuffle, spit, splutter, sputter, squash, squelch, squish, sternutation, stertor, suspiration, swish, wheeze, whish, whistle, whistling, white noise, whiz, whoosh, wind, zip

ROGET THESAURUS

sneeze

Wind

VB blow, waft, blow hard, blow great guns, blow a hurricane, wuther, stream, issue, respire, breathe, puff, whiff, whiffle, gasp, wheeze, snuff, snuffle, sniff, sniffle, sneeze, cough, fan, ventilate, inflate, perflate, blow up.

Sibilation

VB hiss, buzz, whiz, rustle, fizz, fizzle, wheeze, whistle, snuffle, squash, sneeze, sizzle, swish.