schnuppern

From schnuppen +‎ -ern, with schnuppen (or snuppen) being the German Low German and Central German form of schnupfen (“to sniff”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃnʊpɐn/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

schnuppern (weak, third-person singular present schnuppert, past tense schnupperte, past participle geschnuppert, auxiliary haben)

1. (intransitive) to smell, to nose, to sniff [with an (+ dative) ‘someone, a body part, etc.’]

   Die beiden Hunde schnuppern aneinander.

   The two dogs are sniffing each other.

   Der Hund schnupperte an seiner Hand.

   The dog sniffed his hand.

2. (transitive, informal) to get a (first) taste of something (a place, institution or situation; especially of a temporary visit, trial or internship; typically with ad-hoc compounds with Luft)

   in den Ferien Uniluft schnuppern

   to get a first taste of university during the holidays (as part of an open house offer to students)

   • 2022 May 1, Gabriel Proedl, “Modelagentin Eva Gödel: Ich mag dein Gesicht”, in Die Zeit‎^[1], number 18/2022, archived from the original on 4 May 2022:

     Er ist dennoch mit Emile im Zug angereist, die Jungs wollen die Dior-Show von außen sehen. "Bisschen Modelluft schnuppern", nennt Dario das.

     Despite this, he and Emile came by train, the boys want to see the Dior show from the outside. "Getting a little taste of the modelling world" is what Dario is calling it.

• “schnuppern” in Duden online
• “schnuppern” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache