snore

American  

[snawr, snohr] / snɔr, snoʊr /

verb (used without object)

snores, present (3rd person singular) snored, past participle, past snoring present participle

1. to breathe during sleep with hoarse or harsh sounds caused by the vibrating of the soft palate.

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verb (used with object)

snores, present (3rd person singular) snored, past participle, past snoring present participle

1. to pass (time) in snoring or sleeping (usually followed by away orout ).

   to snore the day away.

noun

snores plural

1. the act, instance, or sound of snoring.

2. Slang. a person or thing that is dull and boring.

   Eighth grade is such a snore.

snore British  

/ snɔː /

verb

1. (intr) to breathe through the mouth and nose while asleep with snorting sounds caused by vibrations of the soft palate

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noun

1. the act or sound of snoring

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• snorer
  noun
• unsnoring
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• snores
  plural

Participles

• snoring
  present
• snored
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• snore
  simple
• snores
  simple
• have snored
  perfect
• has snored
  perfect
• am snoring
  progressive
• are snoring
  progressive
• is snoring
  progressive
• have been snoring
  perfect progressive
• has been snoring
  perfect progressive

Past

• snored
  simple
• had snored
  perfect
• was snoring
  progressive
• were snoring
  progressive
• had been snoring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will snore
  simple
• will have snored
  perfect
• will be snoring
  progressive
• will have been snoring
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

By Sunday night, it counted as a relative snore when the Patriots and Chargers entered the final 15 minutes of their matchup locked in a one-score game.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026

On a few occasions he lifts his head to take a deep breath without opening his eyes, at one point beginning to snore softly.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 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

Then he began to snore until he didn’t snore anymore.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2022

Ernie fell asleep early that night, and for the first time ever, Genie was glad to hear him snore.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• wheeze