nose out
Britishverb
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to discover by smelling
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to discover by cunning or persistence
the reporter managed to nose out a few facts
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informal to beat by a narrow margin
he was nosed out of first place by the champion
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Defeat by a narrow margin, as in She barely nosed out the incumbent . This expression, alluding to a horse's winning with its nose in front, has been used figuratively since the mid-1900s.
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Discover, especially something hidden or secret, as in This reporter has a knack for nosing out the truth . This usage alludes to following the scent of something. [Early 1600s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr Miller calls this a technology that is “only starting to poke its nose out behind the door” within different segments of the publishing industry.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2024
“I will raise my children the way I want. They’re our children and it’s our choice. He needs to stick his nose out of our business.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2024
“I think he should keep his nose out of Michigan politics.”
From Salon ● May 22, 2024
These include lakeshores, battlefields, memorials, parkways, and monuments, and visiting enables you to experience America while also keeping your nose out of a stranger’s armpit.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2023
Amelia lifted her nose out of the handkerchief, her eyes wide.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
