snivel
snivelling; snivelled; sniveled; snivels
Sometimes, when you really want something, you might resort to whining and blubbering to get it — in other words, you'll snivel. It's never pretty, so try to keep your dignity, and don't snivel!
If you want a real picture of the verb snivel, consider that the meaning of the assumed Old English word snyflan meant "to run at the nose, to sniffle." Even worse, that was derived from snofl, or "mucus." Pretty picture, eh? The word came to mean "be tearful," and it suggested someone who was weak or nasty. Today it is often used in its adjective form, sniveling, followed by a contemptuous noun like "coward."
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cry or whine with snuffling
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talk in a tearful manner
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snuff up mucus through the nose
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synonyms:
snuffle
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type of:
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breathe in, inhale, inspire
draw in (air)
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breathe in, inhale, inspire
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whining in a tearful manner
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the act of breathing heavily through the nose (as when the nose is congested)
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type of:
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breathing, external respiration, respiration, ventilation
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
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breathing, external respiration, respiration, ventilation
Vocabulary lists containing snivel
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