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

An apple was cut into segments and placed into a bowl of water, and Delilah was supposed to bob her snout in and pick out the pieces of fruit for a tasty snack. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024

More than 58,000 fans follow an Instagram account that shares snapshots of 399’s life — ambling through the grass with her babies, bathing with them, emerging from hibernation with snow speckled on her snout. —Leslie Katz, Forbes, 25 Oct. 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)