nose around

nose around
phrasal
: to sniff around : explore

plant auditors may also be found nosing around scrap heaps to see whether material is being wasted — Hugh Morrow

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ˌnose a ˈround ˌnose a ˈbout british [intransitive/transitive] [he/she/it noses around present participle nosing around past tense nosed around past participle nosed around] showing disapproval phrasal verb
to try to find out information about someone or something

A few kids were nosing around.

I found two men nosing around the boat.

Thesaurus: to try to find out informationsynonym
Main entry: nose

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nose around (also Brit nose about) [phrasal verb]
nose around/about or nose around/about (something) : 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.

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Main Entry:nose

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Nose around — Nose around, v. i. to look around or search, especially where one has no authority to do so; to pry; to be nosy. Same as {nose[2]}, v. i. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • nose around — nose about you check the bedrooms and we ll nose around the kitchen Syn: investigate, explore, ferret around/through, rummage around/through, search; delve into, peer into; prowl around; informal snoop around/about …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • nose\ around — • nose about • nose around v. phr. informal To look for something kept private or secret; poke about; explore; inquire; pry. In Grandmother s attic, Sally spent a while nosing about in the old family pictures. The detective was nosing around in… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • nose around — phrasal verb nose around or nose about [intransitive/transitive] Word forms nose around : he/she/it noses around present participle nosing around past tense nosed around past participle nosed around showing disapproval British nose around/about… …   English dictionary

  • nose around — PHRASAL VERB If you nose around or nose about, you look around a place that belongs to someone else, to see if you can find something interesting. [INFORMAL] [V P n] Accountants are nosing around the BBC at the moment, conducting an efficiency… …   English dictionary

  • nose around — Synonyms and related words: be curious, beat the bushes, burn with curiosity, burrow, delve, dig, dig around for, dig up, explore, forage, frisk, gape, gawk, go through, hunt, inquire, interrogate, look around, look round, look through, nose… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • nose around — look for something kept private or secret, pry The secretary was nosing around in her boss s desk trying to discover what was going on …   Idioms and examples

  • nose around — to try to discover information. Justice Department lawyers started nosing around after they received a complaint from a former employee. Related vocabulary: sniff out someone/something …   New idioms dictionary

  • nose around (for something) — ˌnose aˈbout/aˈround (for sth) derived to look for sth, especially information about sb Syn: ↑poke about • We found a man nosing around in our backyard. Main entry: ↑nosederived …   Useful english dictionary

  • nose around/about/round — INVESTIGATE, explore, ferret (about/around), rummage, search; delve into, peer into; prowl around; informal snoop about/around/round. → nose …   Useful english dictionary

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