muzzle

noun

• 1the projecting part of the face, including the nose and mouth, of an animal such as a dog or horse: she patted the horse’s velvety muzzle
• a guard, typically made of straps or wire, fitted over an animal’s muzzle to stop it biting or feeding: the law says that pit bull terriers have to wear a muzzle
• informal the part of a person’s face including the nose, mouth, and chin: his close-shaven muzzle

• 2the open end of the barrel of a firearm:Devlin jammed the muzzle of the gun into the man’s neck

verb

• put a muzzle on (an animal): the dog should have been muzzled
• prevent (a person or group) from expressing their opinions freely:opposition leaders accused him of muzzling the news media