informal: to make light of—always used in negative statements to indicate something that is important or deserves attention
… a red ribbon for second place is not to be sneezed at or scorned. Richard Peck
Perquisites and severance pay are nothing to sneeze at[=are significant]
Example Sentences
Verb She was constantly sneezing and coughing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
After measuring how quickly the elephant could use its trunk to suck up water, the researchers calculated that elephant noses could inhale at speeds exceeding 490 feet per second, or almost 30 times as fast as humans can sneeze out of ours.New York Times, 1 June 2021 Customers can sneeze or cough on the items or flout cocktail party etiquette and spear subsequent samples with the same toothpick.Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2020 The World Health Organization has recommended half that distance — and only when people are coughing or sneezing. Catherine Marfin, Dallas News, 5 May 2020 People should also avoid touching their faces and cover their mouths when sneezing or coughing. Nicole Chavez, CNN, 28 Mar. 2020 Health officials also offered these ways to prevent spreading a flu virus:Cover your nose and mouth with tissue when sneezing or coughing. Terry Demio, Cincinnati.com, 13 Dec. 2019 Practice good hygiene: wash your hands with soap and water frequently, cough and sneeze into your elbow, avoid touching your face. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 5 Apr. 2020 Cough or sneeze into a tissue, and then throw it away. Zee Krstic, Good Housekeeping, 20 Mar. 2020 Using dress up, Brandon Bear at one point imagines himself a hero and along with Persona shows kids how to wash their hands and cover their mouths when coughing or sneeze into a tissue or elbow. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2020
Noun
For example, being able to delete a horrible group photo that caught you mid-sneeze may seem like a great idea to you, but not so great for the person who originally shared the picture because the moment was important to them. Paul Monckton, Forbes, 8 June 2022 The virus mainly spreads via direct contact with infectious monkeypox sores, scabs or bodily fluids, though it can also be transmitted via respiratory droplets, the kind of large particles produced when people breathe, talk, cough or sneeze. Robert Hart, Forbes, 10 June 2022 His competitors play mind games, tossing off nasty insults or distracting him with noise; meanwhile, Tom can’t even muster up a sneeze to throw off another bowler’s game. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Mar. 2022 Beyond the sneeze triggers listed above, there are more peculiar ones, too. Rebecca Strong, Health.com, 17 Feb. 2022 There is a noise that, these past two years, has acquired the power to turn my blood to ice: my child’s sneeze, followed by a wet sniffle. Elizabeth G. Dunn, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2022 Right after the sneeze is over, the heart rate goes back to normal. Ella Lee, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2021 OGs look at his homers, RBI and lack of a great all-around game and sneeze. Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 17 Aug. 2021 The virus that causes COVID-19 can spread when people breathe, talk, cough or sneeze. Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English snesen, alteration of fnesen, from Old English fnēosan; akin to Middle High German pfnūsen to snort, sneeze, Greek pnein to breathe