nose around
verb
nosed around; nosing around; noses around
: to search for something (such as private or hidden information) in usually a quiet or secret way
She caught him nosing around in her papers/office.
The police nosed around the property for a while, but they didn't find anything.
Examples of nose around in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The show could still include a government subplot, maybe some shadowy investigators poking their noses around, but as it was written, the military was just unforgivably lame.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
As top-tier sports continue to flee pay-TV like so many panicky horses hoofing their way out of a burning stable, the WNBA is nosing around for oats among the haybales as the sparks fly skyward.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2025
As the bodies pile up, Honey keeps nosing around.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
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Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
As top-tier sports continue to flee pay-TV like so many panicky horses hoofing their way out of a burning stable, the WNBA is nosing around for oats among the haybales as the sparks fly skyward.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2025
As the bodies pile up, Honey keeps nosing around.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nose around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nose%20around. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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