What does niff mean?
Niff is an informal word with several distinct senses. As a verb, it most commonly means to steal or take something by stealth, as in “Someone niffed my keys.” This use can sound playful when describing minor theft but more serious when used in an accusation. Niff can also be a noun meaning a smell or odor, especially in British English: “There was a strange niff coming from the kitchen.” In addition, the expression “have a niff at something” means to smell or briefly inspect it by smell. The word’s mixture of theft and sensory associations makes it vivid in casual speech, although its strongest idiomatic uses are informal and regional. It is less common and more distinctly British in its smell-related senses than in its older sense of taking something by stealth.
To steal or take something by stealth.
"He niffed her pencil during the lesson."
Informal; often playful when referring to a minor or imagined theft.
A smell or odor, or the act of briefly smelling something.
"Have a niff at these tomatoes."
Chiefly associated with informal British usage.
The plural is used when referring to separate instances of a smell or odor.
"Strange niffs were coming from the storeroom."
Niff can mean both a suspicious smell and a stealthy act of theft—one word for two decidedly underhanded activities.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does niff come from?
Niff is an English word associated with informal senses involving taking by stealth and smelling. Its historical relationship to related forms such as sniff is not sufficiently straightforward to summarize with certainty, so its precise development and wider cognate family are best left unspecified.
Related word forms
How niff is actually used
The theft sense is informal and somewhat playful, though it can sound accusatory when used about real misconduct. The smell senses are especially associated with British informal speech; the noun form may sound unusual in American English.
Easily confused with niff
A sniff is the act of drawing air through the nose to detect a smell, whereas a niff as a noun is the smell itself and as a verb usually means to steal stealthily.
A thief is a person who steals, while niff is an informal verb for the act of taking something by stealth.