What does "nuzzle" mean?
An act of nuzzling (all verb senses).
Nuzzle
/ˈnʌzl̩/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of nuzzling (all verb senses).
- Grammar: nuzzle is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: affectionate gesture, affectionate touch, bonding behavior, bundle.
- Useful contrasts: distance, hostility, ignore.
- Usage evidence: Benedito loves the way his baby goats nuzzle against his hand.
How to use "nuzzle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "nuzzle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "nuzzle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "nuzzle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "nuzzle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "nuzzle" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "affectionate gesture" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "nuzzle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An act of nuzzling (all verb senses).
Verb
- 1 To push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something. transitive
"[T]he Dogge nuſling his noſe vnder the necke of the Deare, the Wolfe glad to let the Lambe lye vpon hym to kéepe him warme, the Lyon ſuffering the Aſſe to caſt hys legge ouer him: preferring one honeſt vnmannerly friende, before a number of croutching picke-thankes."
- 2 Often followed by up '''or ''with: to nurture or train (oneself or someone) to act a certain way, have certain beliefs, etc. also, obsolete, reflexive, transitive
"Yf any man therfore vſe the ſcripture to drawe the [thee] from Chriſte and to noſell the [thee] in any thinge ſave in Chriſte / the ſame is a falſe prophete."
- 3 dig out with the snout wordnet
- 4 To rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object. transitive
"The horse nuzzled its foal’s head gently to wake him up."
- 5 Often followed by up '''or ''with: to nurture or train (oneself or someone) to act a certain way, have certain beliefs, etc.; To train (a dog or hawk) to attack prey. also, obsolete, reflexive, transitive
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 rub noses wordnet
- 7 Chiefly of an animal: to dig (something, especially food) out of the ground using the nose or snout; to root. transitive
- 8 Chiefly followed by up: to bring up (someone); to foster, to rear; also, to educate (someone); to train. also, obsolete, reflexive, transitive
"This onely they beſought at their hands, and admoniſhed them of, by vvay of a proviſo, they they vvould take order for the ſafetie and ſecuritie of their perſons: and not by ſheading their bloud, to fleſh the Commons, and to nuzzle them up, and acquaint them vvith exerciſing crueltie upon the Nobles and Senatours."
- 9 move or arrange oneself in a comfortable and cozy position wordnet
- 10 Often followed by in or into: to press or push the nose or snout, mouth, face, etc., against or into someone or something; to touch someone or something with the nose or snout, etc. intransitive
"The bird nuzzled up to the wires of the cage."
- 11 To care for (someone) affectionately; to hold dear (someone); to cherish, to nurse; also, to provide (someone or something) a comfortable and snug place to settle or lie (compare etymology 1, verb etymology 1 sense 2.3). also, literary, obsolete, reflexive, transitive
"For if Birhena could haue held him backe, / From Venus Court where he now nouſled was, / His luſtie limbes had neuer found the lacke / Of manly ſhape: […]"
- 12 Chiefly of an animal: to push the nose or snout into the ground to dig for something, especially food; to root, to rootle. intransitive
"The male pigges following the damme, doe commonly ſcatter further abroade than the females doe, and will nouzle and turne vp the ground tenne or twelue paces further off from their dãmes than yͤ females do, […]"
- 13 Followed by down: to settle or lie comfortably and snugly in a bed, nest, etc.; to nestle. intransitive
"Intemperance therefore according to Cicero, is ſuch a kind of obedience vnto luſts, meerely repugnant to the right mind, and vnto all preſcription of reaſon, that the priuate deſires can neither be gouerned nor contained in any moderation; and thereof are tvvo parts: one vvhich exceſſiuely nuzzleth it ſelfe in delicacie, and another vvhich doth not."
- 14 Chiefly followed by up or with: to press affectionately against someone or something; to nestle, to snuggle. intransitive
"[W]ill your reſt / ſeme ſvveeter, if I nuzzle on your breſt?"
- 15 To come into close contact with someone or something. figuratively, intransitive
"It was nearly all downhill into Shrewsbury, with two intermediate stops, and a grand sequence of long curves around which Soult nuzzled her way with a quick side-to-side action."
- 16 To feel or probe with the fingers. intransitive, obsolete, rare
"The Professor […] [f]eels thorax and arm, and nuzzles round among muscles as those horrid old women poke their fingers into the salt-meat on the provision-stalls at the Quincy Market."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Benedito loves the way his baby goats nuzzle against his hand."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "nuzzle"?
Common synonyms include: affectionate gesture, affectionate touch, bonding behavior, bundle, burrow, caress.
How do you use "nuzzle" in a sentence?
Benedito loves the way his baby goats nuzzle against his hand.
How do you pronounce "nuzzle"?
Pronounced /ˈnʌzl̩/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
PIE word *néh₂s The verb is derived from Middle English noselen (“to bend down”); further etymology uncertain, possibly: * a back-formation from noseling, noselyng (“on the back, supine; with the face downward, prone”, adverb), from nose (“nose”) (from Old English nosu, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂s (“nose”)) + -ling, -lyng (suffix forming adverbs denoting direction, manner, or position); or * from nose (see above) + -el, -elen (diminutive or frequentative suffix) (in which case the English word is, by surface analysis, nose + -le (frequentative suffix)). Etymology 1 sense 2.3 (“to settle or lie comfortably and snugly”) is possibly influenced by nestle or nursle (frequentative of nurse). The noun is derived from the verb. Compare nozzle.
Etymology 2
Origin uncertain; appears to have a separate origin from nuzzle (etymology 1) due to the different meanings, but probably influenced by that word.