snout

1 of 2

noun

ˈsnau̇t 

1

a(1)

: a long projecting nose (as of a swine)

(2)

: an anterior prolongation of the head of various animals (such as a weevil) : rostrum

b

: the human nose especially when large or grotesque

2

: something resembling an animal's snout in position, function, or shape: such as

a

: prow

b

: nozzle

c

: the terminal face of a glacier

snouted

ˈsnau̇-təd 

adjective

snoutish

ˈsnau̇-tish 

adjective

snouty

ˈsnau̇-tē 

adjective

snout

2 of 2

verb

snouted; snouting; snouts

intransitive verb

: to dig or search with or as if with the snout

These whales feed by snouting around in soft ocean bottoms …

—Elizabeth Quill

The bear was on a low-level hunting mission … and snouted around for anything to fuel a furnace-like appetite …

—Danny Buckland

… help us to visualize precisely [Ignatius] Sancho stomping through his house, snouting about in every corner, pausing only to curse his increasingly irritating failure to track down the newspapers he is searching for.

—S. S. Sanhu

Synonyms

Noun

• beak
• conk [chiefly British slang]
• honker [slang]
• neb
• nose
• nozzle [slang]
• proboscis
• schnoz [slang]
• schnozz
• schnozzle [slang]
• smeller
• snoot

Examples of snout in a Sentence

Noun

The dog raised his snout and sniffed.

a punch in the snout

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

However, coyotes typically have slimmer builds, narrower snouts and smaller paws than wolves; their ears also seem proportionately larger and pointier. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024

When trying to determine if an animal is a wolf versus a coyote, aside from the size difference, wolves have shorter, blunter noses and rounder faces, while coyotes have much more angular features and longer, sharper snouts. —Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 3 Apr. 2024

There are seals ensnared in gill nets, plastic bags, ropes, a metal kitchen strainer, bands of cling wrap, packaging straps, thick shark fishing wire, steel cables, bungee cords, plastic straps from hard hats, and miles of fishing line around their necks, jaws, snouts and mouths. —Cara Buckley, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024

The fossil’s long, toothed snout suggests that Pebanista fed on fish as modern river dolphins do. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024

Distinguished by their furry bodies and pointy snouts, the little hedgehogs, known as lesser gymnures or Hylomys, are native to Southeast Asia. —Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2023

Skunks do not have white patches on their heads and instead have one thin white stripe that runs from the top of their head to the beginning of their snout. —Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024

Read Next Mountain creature with no ears and ‘long’ snout seen playing dead. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024

Responding animal care officers examined her and discovered she had been shot in her snout. —Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 19 Jan. 2024

Verb

Puppy wobbles forward, bonks snout on plexiglass. —Daniel Dorsa, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Nov. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English snute; akin to Middle Dutch snūt snout, German Schnauze

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

1857, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing snout

• have/get one's nose/snout in the trough
• snout beetle

Kids Definition

snout

noun

ˈsnau̇t 

1

a

: a long nose or muzzle (as of a pig) that sticks out

b

: a front part of the head of an animal that sticks out like the snout of a pig

c

: the human nose especially when large or ugly

2

: something resembling a snout

snouted

-əd 

adjective

Medical Definition

snout

noun

ˈsnau̇t 

: a long projecting nose (as of a swine)