nozzle

American  

[noz-uhl] / ˈnɒz əl /

noun

1. a projecting spout, terminal discharging pipe, or the like, as of a hose or bellows.

2. Slang. the nose.

3. the spout of a teapot.

4. the socket of a candlestick.

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nozzle British  

/ ˈnɒzəl /

noun

1. a projecting pipe or spout from which fluid is discharged

2. Also called: propelling nozzle.  a pipe or duct, esp in a jet engine or rocket, that directs the effluent and accelerates or diffuses the flow to generate thrust

3. a socket, such as the part of a candlestick that holds the candle

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Etymology

Origin of nozzle

1600–10; earlier nosle; nose, -le

Example Sentences

Children suck up lamb and rice through a nozzle, like little astronauts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 10, 2025

It took me three hours to force the hose onto the pump nozzle, but I couldn’t cinch it up securely.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2025

Social media platforms have had a mercurial relationship with publishers, too, funneling readers to news sites before turning down the nozzle to a slow drip.

From Slate • Jun. 3, 2024

According to the company, a nozzle used in the building's ventilation system became detached during a sound-check due to what it believed was a "factory defect".

From BBC • May 2, 2024

It looked like a fire hose, except that at the end, instead of a nozzle, there was a round plunger like a big rubber ball cut in half.

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien

Related Words

• faucet
• spigot