nose out
Britishverb
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to discover by smelling
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to discover by cunning or persistence
the reporter managed to nose out a few facts
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informal to beat by a narrow margin
he was nosed out of first place by the champion
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Defeat by a narrow margin, as in She barely nosed out the incumbent . This expression, alluding to a horse's winning with its nose in front, has been used figuratively since the mid-1900s.
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Discover, especially something hidden or secret, as in This reporter has a knack for nosing out the truth . This usage alludes to following the scent of something. [Early 1600s]
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.
“I think he should keep his nose out of Michigan politics.”
From Salon • May 22, 2024
“I had to punch a moose in the nose out there,” he told a camera crew, but didn’t offer other details.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 4, 2024
Together they took three deep breaths — in through the nose, out through the mouth, just like the child had learned.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2022
A face-off between the two newspapers "put Mirror owner Robert Maxwell's nose out of joint", according to sticker expert and author Greg Lansdowne.
From BBC • Nov. 16, 2021
He breathed in through his nose, out through his mouth, forcing himself to let the tension go.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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.
