nose around
phrasal 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
As the bodies pile up, Honey keeps nosing around.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
Naturally, Charlie begins nosing around with the encouragement of her new friend, Alex (Patti Harrison), and discovers there’s more to the sweaty gym than lets on.
—Matt Minton, Variety, 26 June 2025
By the time the superhero movie bonanza began, no one in this business held their noses around a gold mine any longer.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
Tabloid reporters and true-crime enthusiasts nosed around the yard where the police had gathered to call out to Sheila.
—Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024
That is, until a true-crime podcaster comes nosing around.
—Kathryn Shattuck, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Doctors usually repair the lip and nose around 3 to 6 months, close the palate around 9 to 18 months and then wait to do a bone graft until children are about 5 to 11 years old, though there is debate about when in that age range is best.
—Megan Rose, ProPublica, 6 Mar. 2024
Would Rory and Lorelai, devoted high-culture haters who prefer ordering pizza and mainlining Cop Rock to nosing around museums, ever be caught dead here?
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 28 Nov. 2023
Then there are four slightly older puppies, pit bull mixes probably, whose eyes are still tightly shut, futilely nosing around the crate for their mother who never made it to the shelter.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023
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.
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
Naturally, Charlie begins nosing around with the encouragement of her new friend, Alex (Patti Harrison), and discovers there’s more to the sweaty gym than lets on.
—Matt Minton, Variety, 26 June 2025
By the time the superhero movie bonanza began, no one in this business held their noses around a gold mine any longer.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
Tabloid reporters and true-crime enthusiasts nosed around the yard where the police had gathered to call out to Sheila.
—Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024
That is, until a true-crime podcaster comes nosing around.
—Kathryn Shattuck, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Doctors usually repair the lip and nose around 3 to 6 months, close the palate around 9 to 18 months and then wait to do a bone graft until children are about 5 to 11 years old, though there is debate about when in that age range is best.
—Megan Rose, ProPublica, 6 Mar. 2024
Would Rory and Lorelai, devoted high-culture haters who prefer ordering pizza and mainlining Cop Rock to nosing around museums, ever be caught dead here?
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 28 Nov. 2023
Then there are four slightly older puppies, pit bull mixes probably, whose eyes are still tightly shut, futilely nosing around the crate for their mother who never made it to the shelter.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Nose around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nose%20around. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share