1. To move forward very slowly and cautiously out of some place. In this usage, the preposition "of" is used after "out" when the place is specified; a noun or pronoun can be used between "nose" and "out" if the verb is used transitively. I think you'll have enough room to get out of the parking spot—just nose the car out a little bit at a time to be sure. I nosed out of the house to get away from the party without anyone noticing. She nosed the motorcycle quietly out of the shed so as not to wake her parents.

2. To defeat someone by a narrow margin, thus knocking them out of the competition or contest. The underdogs managed to nose out the former champions in a thrilling last-minute victory. After a late surge in the polls, Mayor Smith nosed out the Michigan senator many assumed would be the party's nominee.

3. To discover something that had been hidden through careful and thorough investigation. If anyone will be able to nose out the truth, she will. Scientists believe they have nosed out the genes responsible for giving one's face its particular shape.