NOSING Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

nosing

verb

Definition of nosing

present participle of nose

as in sniffing

to become aware of by means of the sense organs in the nose could nose the garbage from across the street

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in interfering

to interest oneself in what is not one's concern a neighbor who likes to nose around in everyone else's business

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dragging

to move slowly the line to get tickets is just nosing, so we are going to be here for a while

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nosing

Verb

The 39-year-old, who has been arrested multiple times in Burbank and Glendale, was taken into custody on suspicion of violating terms of his probation from a previous arrest linked to sniffing women’s rears.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Less than a month later, he was arrested again after allegedly sniffing another woman’s butt at a Walgreens in Burbank.

— Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of sniffing

Verb

The story went viral, Rust recalls, dragging local, state and, ultimately, federal officials into a Keystone Kops-like battle of wills.

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
During the transformation the gases escape, dragging dust and ice particles off the surface with them.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of dragging

Verb

Toss the lemons into the washer and run a quick cycle with hot water to leave the machine shining and smelling fresh.

— Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2026
Just like smelling a particular fragrance can bring back a memory faster than any other sense, a Taylor Swift song strikes an immediate, familiar chord.

— Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of smelling

Verb

The process would be similar to inhaling allergy medicine via a nasal spray.

— Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
And in the summer working, caring for the garden, cultivating my plants, my food, inhaling the sun, seeing my skin become brown just as the flowers are also growing their colours, and my beloved garden plants are delivering their brilliant food.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of inhaling

Verb

Traditionally, there’s this rendering of hell as a dark cave with fire, and there’s the devil with a pitchfork poking everybody with it.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
With the help of Nollet, Anderson’s hair was blown and teased away from her forehead, with tinges of pink poking through.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of poking

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.

Browse Nearby Words

nosiness

nosing

nosing out

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Style

“Nosing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nosing. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of nosing

verb

Example Sentences

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