nosh
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
verb
Usage
What does nosh mean? Nosh means to eat, especially by snacking, as in When I work from home it’s hard not to nosh all day. It also means to munch on or snack on something, as in I’m getting a little hungry, so I’m just going to nosh on crackers to tide me over until dinner. It can also be a noun meaning a snack, as in Let’s have a little nosh before the movie.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nosh
1955–60; < Yiddish nashn; Middle High German naschen, Old High German nascōn to nibble, gnaw; cognate with Danish naske, Swedish snaska
Explanation
To nosh is to have a snack. You might nosh on a slice of cold pizza and a handful of chocolate chips after school. Many people like to nosh on popcorn while watching movies, and you could nosh on the cookies you baked for the school bake sale. You can also call a meal a nosh, especially if it's just a snack: "Let's have a nosh before we head back out on the hiking trail." Nosh comes from the Yiddish word -nashn, "nibble," and its earliest use in English, around 1917, was as a shortened form of nosh-house, or "restaurant."
Vocabulary lists containing nosh
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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.
People now nosh on “steakcuterie” cutting boards arranged with steak, eggs and guacamole.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
So make sure you’re washing your vegetables, and anything you leave outside that you might nosh on later.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2025
The honor of the pre-dinner nosh, meanwhile, usually falls to charcuterie, a category of cooked or cured meat like dry-aged ham, potted pâté, or rillettes.
From Salon • Feb. 20, 2023
Visit the Lounge at DeLille to belly up to a blazing bar, sample wines, and nosh on shareable plates like duck confit poutine or upscale nachos featuring candied jalapeños and cipollini balsamic béchamel.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2023
“Excellent nosh, Petunia. It’s normally just a fry-up for me of an evening, with twelve dogs to look after....”
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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.
