nosed

Nosed is the past tense and past participle of the verb nose. It is used to describe actions performed with the nose or actions guided by sniffing, as well as figurative movements driven by persistence or curiosity. In everyday language, one might say a dog nosed through the underbrush, a person nosed around a desk, or a vehicle nosed into a small space.

As a verb, nosed often conveys careful or tentative movement, such as sniffing to detect a scent or pushing forward with the front end. In aviation or automotive contexts, nosed can describe a change in attitude or alignment: the aircraft nosed up into a climb, or a car nosed into a parking space.

As an adjective in technical usage, nosed can describe objects with a pronounced frontal projection, such as a nosed front on a ship or a rocket. More commonly, however, the form is used only in its verbal senses and may appear in combination phrases like nosed out or nosed through.

Etymology: nosed derives from nose, with the English suffix -ed, and has been in use since the Middle English period to denote action with the nose.

See also: Nose, Nosing.