nuzzle.
To push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something.
Meaning & usage
To push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something.
To rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object.
The horse nuzzled its foal’s head gently to wake him up.
She nuzzled her girlfriend in the cinema.
Chiefly of an animal: to dig (something, especially food) out of the ground using the nose or snout; to root.
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.
The bird nuzzled up to the wires of the cage.
Chiefly of an animal: to push the nose or snout into the ground to dig for something, especially food; to root, to rootle.
Followed by down: to settle or lie comfortably and snugly in a bed, nest, etc.; to nestle.
Chiefly followed by up or with: to press affectionately against someone or something; to nestle, to snuggle.
To come into close contact with someone or something.
To feel or probe with the fingers.
Where this word comes from
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, verb 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.
An act of nuzzling (all verb senses).
Where this word comes from
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, verb 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.
Often followed by up '''or ''with: to nurture or train (oneself or someone) to act a certain way, have certain beliefs, etc.
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.
Chiefly followed by up: to bring up (someone); to foster, to rear; also, to educate (someone); to train.
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, verb sense 2.3).
Where this word comes from
Origin uncertain; appears to have a separate origin from nuzzle (etymology 1) due to the different meanings, but probably influenced by that word.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.