snore
Americanverb (used without object)
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snores,
present (3rd person singular)
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snored,
past participle, past
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snoring
present participle
verb (used with object)
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snores,
present (3rd person singular)
-
snored,
past participle, past
-
snoring
present participle
noun
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snores
plural
-
the act, instance, or sound of snoring.
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Slang. a person or thing that is dull and boring.
Eighth grade is such a snore.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
snoresimple
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snoressimple
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have snoredperfect
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has snoredperfect
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am snoringprogressive
-
are snoringprogressive
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is snoringprogressive
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have been snoringperfect progressive
-
has been snoringperfect progressive
Past
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snoredsimple
-
had snoredperfect
-
was snoringprogressive
-
were snoringprogressive
-
had been snoringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of snore
1300–50; Middle English snoren (v.); cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch snorren
Explanation
If you snore, you breathe loudly through your nose while you're asleep. If your roommate snores, you may need to get yourself some ear plugs so that you can sleep. Most of us snore occasionally when we're congested, but some people snore every time they sleep. This kind of snore can be a serious health problem, since air isn't flowing easily in and out as the snorer breathes. In some cases, snoring is connected to sleep apnea, which means a sleeper actually stops breathing several times throughout the night. Colloquially, a snore is also a dull, boring thing: "The movie was a total snore."
Vocabulary lists containing snore
Festival of Sleep Day
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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.
See Examples For:
The way they speed and slow, roar and snore, constantly balancing thrust to counteract changing winds?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
However, these teens who snored did not exhibit any differences in their reading and language abilities, nor any difference on memory or cognitive processing tests compared to their peers who did not snore.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2024
"With the AI, it can be trained to know what you sound like specifically when you snore," a representative insists.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2024
The goal was to keep his stay stress-free so he could snore without interruption.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2023
“It makes me want to sleep. Snuggle my head right up in your armpit and snore for three days.”
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
She says Betty is now "very eager to learn. She snores but other than that she's really quite incredible".
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025
When Aggie describes the project that has her stymied—a book on the relationship between Supreme Court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia—he snores.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025
I hope that I’ll continue to find awe each morning, as the sun streams through my window and my partner snores lightly from the other side of the bed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 18, 2024
When a person snores, that's a red flag that they're on this spectrum.
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2024
I hear the snores of Mima and Papa, and I slide into place between Suzi and Dina, who are sound asleep.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
As he snored companionably, I wondered how I’d handle our next progression, whatever that would be.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Around her, people snored, babies cried and dogs barked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
However, these teens who snored did not exhibit any differences in their reading and language abilities, nor any difference on memory or cognitive processing tests compared to their peers who did not snore.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2024
She added that she thought surgery would work because Debbie had not snored before her accident.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2024
I was horrified at the thought of the Captain watching me while I snored.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
She also said it could cause issues with people's relationships because of the loud snoring.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
According to a concept video, AVA can watch and listen—“You were snoring again”—and even coach your gaming live.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
Any little thing can erupt into a source of tension and angst — body odor, snoring, lights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2025
Meanwhile, the reality of sharing a sleeping compartment with up to five other people, snoring or not, can be at stark odds with the romantic view of such travel seen in golden age films.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025
As she lay there, Percy snoring next to her and Small Bob purring on her belly, she heard Bob and Damasen deep in conversation.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
