nose around

phrasal verb

nosed around; nosing around; noses around
: to search for something (such as private or hidden information) in usually a quiet or secret way
She caught him nosing around in her papers/office.
The police nosed around the property for a while, but they didn't find anything.

Examples of nose around in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Tabloid reporters and true-crime enthusiasts nosed around the yard where the police had gathered to call out to Sheila. Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024 That is, until a true-crime podcaster comes nosing around. Kathryn Shattuck, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Nose around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nose%20around. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

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