# nosing

Pronunciation: say "NOHZ-ing" US /ˈnoʊ̯zɪŋ/, UK /ˈnəʊ̯zɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle of nose. — present participle and gerund of nose
   - Simple: Present participle of nose. Use this -ing form for pushing or sniffing at something with the nose.
   - _The cat was nosing at the closed box, curious about its contents._
   - _He spent the afternoon nosing through old boxes in the attic._

## Noun

2. The rounded front edge of a stair tread that projects out beyond the vertical riser below it.
   - Simple: The front edge of a stair step that sticks out past the part below it.
   - _The builder added an oak nosing to each tread for a finished look._
   - _Replacing the cracked nosing kept the old staircase safe to use._
3. An animal's act of pushing at or investigating something with its nose.
   - Simple: The way an animal pushes at or explores something using its nose.
   - _A curious nosing at the fence told us the goat had found the gap._
   - _The cat's persistent nosing finally pushed the cupboard door ajar._
4. Any comparable projecting edge, such as the protruding lip of a molding.
   - Simple: A part that sticks out at an edge, like the raised lip on a piece of trim.
   - _The cabinet's molding ended in a neat nosing along the top edge._
   - _A decorative nosing ran around the rim of the table._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/nosing (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).