Sternutate

verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To expel air as a reflex induced by an irritation in the nose. humorous

    "Scientists are attempting to unpick the mystery of the “photic sneeze” – a bizarre reflex that causes people to sternutate, or sneeze, in response to bright light – and they need your help."

Synonyms

All synonyms
sneezesneeze

Example

More examples

"Scientists are attempting to unpick the mystery of the “photic sneeze” – a bizarre reflex that causes people to sternutate, or sneeze, in response to bright light – and they need your help."

Etymology

From Latin sternūtāre.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.