nose out

verb

nosed out; nosing out; noses out

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.
With his occasionally brusque manner, his maniacal secrecy about team selection and his refusal to explain his tactical decisions, Luis Enrique put a few noses out of joint in the French media. Tom Williams, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025 Shelving the movie put noses out of joint with talks of a potential tax write-down. Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2025 Mahomes has mostly kept his nose out of trouble during the 2024 season. Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 17 Jan. 2025 He’s only been Contact Manager of the Year once, in 2020, but has been fractionally nosed out for first multiple other times (including by Burnes in 2023). Tony Blengino, Forbes, 2 Jan. 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 15 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

nose out

verb
: to defeat by a narrow margin
the home team barely nosed out the visitors
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!