nosing out

Verb

nose out (third-person singular simple present noses out, present participle nosing out, simple past and past participle nosed out)

1. (informal, transitive) To find using one's sense of smell.
   • Trained to nose out anything from a hidden handgun to a cache of dynamite, the dogs are employed to check important trains like Rajdhani Express or Ashram Express when they arrive at the platform.2011 September 12, Yogesh Avasthi, “It’s a dog’s life for railway sniffers”, in Ahmedabad Mirror

   Synonyms:

   sniff out

2. (figuratively, informal, transitive) To find by searching.

   Synonyms:

   sniff out

3. (informal, transitive) To defeat by a small margin.
   • We were nosed out for the pennant that year,1916 March 11, Charles E. Van Loan, “His Folks”, in Saturday Evening Post

   Synonyms:

   edge out