What does snot mean?
Snot is an informal and usually vulgar noun meaning mucus discharged from the nose, especially thick or visible mucus. In literal use, it is a direct and physically concrete term, often associated with children, illness, or lack of manners. It can also be used figuratively to describe a person as contemptible or irritating, but that sense is more of a crude insult than a precise criticism. The word's bluntness gives it comic force in casual speech, while its vulgar register makes it unsuitable for formal writing. Snotty, its common derivative, can mean either covered with mucus or contemptuous in attitude. Together, these meanings reflect how ordinary physical substances can acquire insulting social force in everyday language.
Mucus discharge from the nose, especially thick or unpleasant mucus.
"He sniffed the snot back into his nose."
Vulgar or informal; often used in a childish or contemptuous register.
A contemptible or irritating person, used as a dismissive insult.
"Don't be such a snot."
Informal and deliberately crude; more insulting than analytically descriptive.
The plural is grammatically standard but uncommon in ordinary usage.
"The table was covered in sticky snots."
A blunt little word for mucus—and for the attitude that comes with it: calling someone snotty is an instantly dismissive insult.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does snot come from?
The word comes from Middle English and ultimately from an Old English word related to the act of snorting or blowing the nose. Its development is associated with the longstanding Germanic language of nasal secretions and discharge. Modern senses preserve both the literal reference to mucus and the figurative sense of contemptuous hostility.
Related word forms
How snot is actually used
The word is vulgar, childish, or dismissive rather than formal. In figurative use, it can label a person or thing as contemptible, but the insult is more insulting than precise.
Easily confused with snot
A snout is the protruding muzzle of an animal, whereas snot means mucus from the nose.