snout

1 of 3

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 3

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

snouty

3 of 3

adjective

ˈsnau̇tē 

-au̇tē, 

-i

-er/-est

1

: snoutlike

2

: having a snout and especially a prominent or remarkable one

the snouty little creatures became a symbol of pamperedness

—New Yorker

Synonyms of snout

Noun

• nose

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

Their long, droopy tails would likely pull them downward and send their snouts bobbing up. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 15 July 2026

The animal had a hump over his shoulders where the gray color showed the lightest, and its nose and snout were long and tapering. — Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026

However, the snout of an alligator is more blunt and u-shaped. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 10 July 2026

With their snouts, the pigs would feel each beat of my heart the way a human would feel a silver dollar that had been flipped in the air then caught in an open palm, flipped and caught, coming up heads or tails, whichever side had been called when the coin was at its apogee. — Will MacKin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026

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

Rhymes for snout

• bout
• clout
• doubt
• drought
• flout
• gout
• grout
• kraut
• lout
• out
• pout
• rout

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)