proboscises

variants also proboscides
plural of proboscis
as in snouts
the part of the face bearing the nostrils and nasal cavity if there were a direct relation between mendacity and the length of one's proboscis, hers would be a mile long

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of proboscises The brain bug's intrinsic ick factor is undeniably high, but using their proboscises to suck thoughts directly from the brains of their unfortunate victims is a pretty neat party trick. Richard Edwards, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2026 Their long proboscises, like divining rods, gently make inquiries of the stone. Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proboscises
Noun
  • With their snouts, the pigs would feel each beat of my heart the way a human would feel a silver dollar that had been flipped in the air then caught in an open palm, flipped and caught, coming up heads or tails, whichever side had been called when the coin was at its apogee.
    Will Mackin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
  • Many hot weather dogs have longer snouts.
    Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • In one scene, a pair of revellers dance naked just outside the fence of the Calvary Cemetery, thumbing their noses at the reaper while the Manhattan skyline towers in the distance.
    Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 4 July 2026
  • What made the difference was an angle here, a line there, small dimensional differences in eyes, noses, mouths.
    John Madson, Outdoor Life, 1 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Proboscises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proboscises. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on proboscises

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster