nose out

verb

nosed out; nosing out; noses out

transitive verb

1
: to discover often by prying
2
: to defeat or surpass by a narrow margin

Examples of nose out in a Sentence

independent investigators eventually nosed out proof of White House wrongdoing
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Shelving the movie put noses out of joint at the time with talks of a potential tax write-down. Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 8 May 2025 Yamamoto actually only nosed out James Paxton by 2/3 of an inning for that third spot. Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025 With his occasionally brusque manner, his maniacal secrecy about team selection and his refusal to explain his tactical decisions, Luis Enrique put a few noses out of joint in the French media. Tom Williams, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025 Shelving the movie put noses out of joint with talks of a potential tax write-down. Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nose out

Word History

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nose out was in 1795

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nose out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nose%20out. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

nose out

verb
: to defeat by a narrow margin
the home team barely nosed out the visitors
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!