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 Australians, the thinking goes, should keep their noses out of China’s business, both inside its borders and around its coastlines, and accept that the future Asian order will be centered on Beijing. Michael Fullilove, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017 The two men agree on at least one point: Both concede the government should keep its nose out of people’s romantic relationships. Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 13 June 2024 Advertisement Ted Williams and Ruth nosed out Gibson in career on-base percentage, but the legendary slugger who played for the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays in a 14-year career that ended in 1946 is the all-time leader in on-base-plus-slugging (OPS) at 1.177. Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2024 Politicians and clergy, keep your noses out of this. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 9 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for nose out 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nose out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near nose out

Cite this Entry

“Nose out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nose%20out. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

nose out

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