nose out

verb

nosed out; nosing out; noses out
Synonyms of nose outnext

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.
Democrat Trump haters earlier relished the fact Machado had nosed out Trump for the award after Trump boasted about ending a series of wars across the globe, including a halt in the fighting in Gaza. Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 18 Dec. 2025 LaMalfa thinks the federal government should keep its nose out of states’ electoral business. Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2025 Peter was in the booth with Herbstreit the other weekend, paws up and nose out. Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025 In order to keep Superman's nose out of his business, he's impregnated the whole thing with kryptonite. Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 July 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 31 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

nose out

verb
: to defeat by a narrow margin
the home team barely nosed out the visitors
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