snore
Americanverb (used without object)
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snores,
present (3rd person singular)
-
snored,
past participle, past
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snoring
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
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.
-
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
-
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:
Out of school for the summer, some kids chase each other around vendor booths while others snore in strollers next to their parents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The way they speed and slow, roar and snore, constantly balancing thrust to counteract changing winds?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
For example, named storm number four will be Dave, described by the nominator as named for "my beloved husband who can snore three times louder than any storm".
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 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
After a while he began to snore, his mouth open.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
Aside from being a general nuisance with their ferocious snores, pungent odors and growls, bears can do serious damage to a home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2026
No iPhone glows disturbed the darkness, just snores and the thud of wheels, the occasional whoosh of a passing train tilting us to one side.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025
It was now a cold, silent night, broken only by snores, the occasional yelp of someone dreaming, and the hoot of a single owl.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2025
When a human being or another mammal snores, it's because air is flowing past the soft tissues in the pharyngeal airway, such as the tongue, soft palette and throat muscles.
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2024
The gentle snores of my two companions made for a perfect lullaby.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
Dogs snored next to their owners, who were glued to their phones, screens lighting up weary faces.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 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
Tyson snored on a bed of hay next to the unicorns, a blissful look on his face like he was dreaming of ponies.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
That trial had heard Mr Kempster's snoring had annoyed Desborough.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
A sleep technician looked at my brain waves, muscle activity, eye movements and snoring audio to determine the stages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
When Korpi creeps through a gauntlet of sleeping soldiers, you hope they stay snoring for their own safety.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 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
Widow Medvedeva was snoring in her rocking chair on the front lawn as Anya walked up to her house.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
