snout

American  

[snout] / snaʊt /

noun

snouts plural

1. the part of an animal's head projecting forward and containing the nose and jaws; muzzle.

2. Entomology. an anterior prolongation of the head bearing the mouth parts, as in snout beetles.

3. anything that resembles or suggests an animal's snout in shape, function, etc.

4. a nozzle or spout.

5. a person's nose, especially when large or prominent.

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snout British  

/ snaʊt /

noun

1. the part of the head of a vertebrate, esp a mammal, consisting of the nose, jaws, and surrounding region, esp when elongated

2. the corresponding part of the head of such insects as weevils

3. anything projecting like a snout, such as a nozzle or the lower end of a glacier

4. slang a person's nose

5. Also called: snout moth.  a brownish noctuid moth, Hypena proboscidalis, that frequents nettles: named from the palps that project prominently from the head at rest

6. slang a cigarette or tobacco

7. slang an informer

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• snouted
  adjective
• snoutless
  adjective
• snoutlike
  adjective
• unsnouted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• snouts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of snout

1175–1225; Middle English snute; cognate with Dutch snuite, German Schnauze

Explanation

An animal's long, protruding nose is often called a snout. The tricky part, though, is that not all long animal noses are called snouts. An elephant has a very long nose, but we don't call it a snout, we call it a trunk. A horse's nose is rarely referred to as a snout, because it's really their whole face that's long. Birds have beaks. Most dogs have a snout, except for pugs and boxers and other dogs with smashed-in faces. Bears have snouts, as do rats. Do yourself a favor, though, and never tell a person that they have a snout, no matter how large their nose is. Believe it or not, snout may actually be a cousin of the word snot: that should help you remember it!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

snout snouts

Hidden in rivers and lakes, a massive crocodile with a distinctive hump on its snout likely posed one of the greatest dangers to these ancient hominins.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 13, 2026

The artwork depicts a fantastical creature combining multiple striking features, including a spiral horn, elongated snout, hooked teeth, wings, and a serpentine tail.

From Science Daily ● May 4, 2026

It was slender, about 2 metres long, and it had a thin long snout specifically adapted for eating fish.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026

A sun bear shelters from the rain in Thailand's Kaeng Krachan National Park as a butterfly briefly rests on its snout.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026

His nose and mouth become a snout, and his eyes turn beady and brown.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

But that shows how keen they are to get their snouts in the trough of Musk’s future equity sales.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026

The malleability of the dog genome allows for enormous physical variety, she explained, meaning that breeders can push features to extremes—squashing snouts, piling on wrinkles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

Instead, they swim sideways, spend much of their time underwater, have long snouts and are almost completely blind.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2025

They’re fairly tall, with snouts that are broader and ears that are rounder than the coyotes they’re often mistaken for.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2024

The old hogs threw up their snouts and said “Woo- oof!”

From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson

Related Words

• beak
• nose
• trunk