What does nosher mean?
A nosher is someone who is conspicuously nosy: a busybody who watches, questions, and investigates other people's affairs. The term is informal and usually carries a mildly critical or teasing tone, suggesting that the person's curiosity is intrusive rather than simply attentive. A nosher might ask too many questions about a neighbour's routine, read a conversation that is not meant for them, or take an obvious interest in a family matter. Although the word resembles the adjective 'nosy' and ultimately belongs to the same word family as 'nose', it functions specifically as a noun for the person rather than as a direct description of behaviour. It is useful when the emphasis falls on an individual regarded as excessively curious, and its slight disparagement makes it better suited to informal writing and speech than to formal or sensitive contexts.
nounAn informal, usually disparaging word for a person who is nosy or excessively interested in other people's affairs.
- A person who is nosy, prying, or overly interested in other people's affairs.
"I don't want to be a nosher, but I couldn't help wondering how they knew."
"Our neighbour is a real nosher, always asking about the neighbours upstairs."
"The novel's intrusive narrator can seem like an unbearable nosher."
The usual plural when referring to multiple people who are excessively nosy.
"The children were natural noshers, asking questions about everything they saw."
A nosher is the colleague who somehow knows everyone's lunch order but keeps it to themselves—or doesn't.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does nosher come from?
The word belongs to the English family formed from 'nose' and the related adjective 'nosy'. It uses the old agent-forming suffix '-er', which can turn an adjective or root associated with a quality into a noun naming the person who has that quality. The precise date of its first use is uncertain, but it is an informal modern formation rather than an inherited Old English term.
Related word forms
How nosher is actually used
Informal and generally derogatory or teasing. It conveys persistent curiosity or meddling and is especially common in everyday speech; the related adjective is 'noshy'.