snore

American  

[snawr, snohr] / snɔr, snoʊr /

verb (used without object)

snored, snoring

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)

snored, snoring

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

   to snore the day away.

noun

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

• outsnore verb (used with object)
• snorer noun
• unsnoring adjective

Etymology

Origin of snore

1300–50; Middle English snoren (v.); cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch snorren

Example Sentences

He could hear crickets and the hoot of an owl, and from the room inside, the soft snores of a family who would be relieved in the morning when he wasn’t there.

From Literature

You slither out onto its snuggly warm blackness, and pretty soon you get so cozy and content lying there that you fall asleep, stretched out and snoring, even.

From Literature

"First Prize for Largest Sleeper," she read, almost tripping over a snoring Newfoundland dog.

From Literature

Thor was sleeping soundly, making a noise like a tiny little snore.

From Literature

I lay there breathing hard but couldn’t even hear myself above the snores and sleep rattles of the others, who might as well have been unconscious.

From Literature

Related Words

• wheeze