snout

American  

[snout] / snaʊt /

noun

1. the part of an animal's head projecting forward and containing the nose and jaws; muzzle.

2. Entomology. an anterior prolongation of the head bearing the mouth parts, as in snout beetles.

3. anything that resembles or suggests an animal's snout in shape, function, etc.

4. a nozzle or spout.

5. a person's nose, especially when large or prominent.

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snout British  

/ snaʊt /

noun

1. the part of the head of a vertebrate, esp a mammal, consisting of the nose, jaws, and surrounding region, esp when elongated

2. the corresponding part of the head of such insects as weevils

3. anything projecting like a snout, such as a nozzle or the lower end of a glacier

4. slang a person's nose

5. Also called: snout moth.  a brownish noctuid moth, Hypena proboscidalis, that frequents nettles: named from the palps that project prominently from the head at rest

6. slang a cigarette or tobacco

7. slang an informer

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Other Word Forms

• snouted adjective
• snoutless adjective
• snoutlike adjective
• unsnouted adjective

Etymology

Origin of snout

1175–1225; Middle English snute; cognate with Dutch snuite, German Schnauze

Explanation

An animal's long, protruding nose is often called a snout. The tricky part, though, is that not all long animal noses are called snouts. An elephant has a very long nose, but we don't call it a snout, we call it a trunk. A horse's nose is rarely referred to as a snout, because it's really their whole face that's long. Birds have beaks. Most dogs have a snout, except for pugs and boxers and other dogs with smashed-in faces. Bears have snouts, as do rats. Do yourself a favor, though, and never tell a person that they have a snout, no matter how large their nose is. Believe it or not, snout may actually be a cousin of the word snot: that should help you remember it!

Example Sentences

It was slender, about 2 metres long, and it had a thin long snout specifically adapted for eating fish.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Many a time I’d wake to feel his snout on my ankle, his breathing measured and loud.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

Until recently, the length and shape of this distinctive snout were the primary traits used to identify the species.

From Science Daily • Dec. 13, 2025

The skull has an enormous eye socket and a long sword-like snout that it used to eat fish and squid.

From BBC • Oct. 9, 2025

When the horse felt the pressure let up on his snout and heard Anya’s encouragement to go, he sprang forward, hooves ripping up the grass and throwing clods of dirt behind him.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Related Words

• beak
• nose
• trunk