to nose
- verb
- /noʊz/
- Informal
- I nosed out Fred by six votes.
- nosed ahead
Examples
-
Casimir doubled the thunderous rhythm of his paws and nosed past Lukas.
Fiction book (1992) -
Taxis vied for inches of space, nosing themselves into impossibly small channels between buses and delivery trucks.
Fiction book (2002) -
In the final lap, she managed to nose out her competitor by a fraction of a second.
-
He was determined to nose ahead of the other candidates in the election.
-
After a tough debate, the senator managed to nose out his opponent by just a few points.
Synonyms
To beat someone by a very small margin
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
To show open disrespect by refusing to follow rules or customs
- Informal
To work hard for a long time on a difficult task without stopping
Deliberately do something that hurts you more than the person you want to punish
- Informal
To think about things beyond your own immediate needs
Phrasal Verbs
To move the nose so it makes small lines to show you do not like something
- Informal
To try to take part in other people's business without being asked
Compounds
- Specialized
The pointed front part of a rocket, missile, or plane that protects important parts and reduces air resistance during flight
A sudden steep fall that often happens to a plane with its front pointing down or to prices
- Specialized
An enlarged red nose with visible blood vessels that often comes from heavy drinking
- Archaic
A nose that becomes large and red with visible veins from long heavy drinking
How Close
Surface Forms
Etymology
To nose someone in a race means to beat them by the forward part, like a head or nose crossing first, from the same old root nosu. That's why to nose an opponent means to win by a very small margin.