ENGLISH
REFERENCE

snout

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈsnaʊt// UK //snˈaʊt// snout Slang Vulgar

n. the long nose and mouth of an animal like a pig or a dog. It can also be a rude word for a person's nose.

n. the projecting nose and mouth of an animal, especially a mammal. In informal or derogatory contexts, it refers to a human nose.


SIMPLE

The pig used its snout to dig in the dirt.

CONTEXTUAL

The dog pressed its wet snout against the window to watch the birds in the garden.

COMPLEX

The tapir's flexible snout allows it to grab leaves and fruit from branches that would otherwise be out of reach in the dense jungle.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English snowte, snout, snute, from Old English snūt, from Proto-West Germanic snūt, from Proto-Germanic *snūtaz. Compare Saterland Frisian Snuute (“snout”), West Frisian snút (“snout”), Dutch snuit or snoet (“snout; cute face”), German Low German Snuut (“snout”), German Schnauze, Schnute (“snout”). Doublet of snoot.

Usage

Commonly used in biological descriptions of mammals; used metaphorically or as slang in human contexts.

Idioms2 entries

© 2026 English Reference