Definition of 'nose'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense noses
, present participle nosing
, past tense, past participle nosed
1. countable noun [oft poss NOUN]
2. countable noun [oft poss NOUN]
3. countable noun
You can
refer to your sense of smell as your nose.
The river that runs through Middlesbrough became ugly on the eye and hard on the
nose.
4. singular noun [usu by a N]
5. verb
If a vehicle noses in a certain
direction or if you nose it there, you move it slowly and carefully in that direction.
He could not see the driver as the car nosed forward.
[VERB adverb/preposition]
A motorboat nosed out of the mist and nudged into the branches of a tree.
[VERB adverb/preposition]
Ben drove past them, nosing his car into the garage.
[VERB noun preposition/adverb]
6. See also
hard-nosed,
toffee-nosed
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
See
get up sb's nose
13.
14.
15.
17.
See
nose to tail
18.
19.
20.
See
under sb's nose
Phrasal verbs:
See
nose around
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
nose
Word Frequency
nose in British English
noun
1.
the
organ of
smell and
entrance to the
respiratory
tract, consisting of a
prominent
structure
divided into two hair-lined
air
passages by a
median
septum
▶ Related adjectives: nasal, rhinal2.
3. another word for
bouquet (sense 2)
4.
instinctive
skill or
facility, esp in
discovering things (
sometimes in the phrase follow one's nose)
she had a nose for good news stories
5. Also called: noser
a person
employed by a
distillery or other alcohol-producing
industry to
test the quality of the
product by smell
15.
nose to tail
16.
on the nose
23.
under one's nose
verb
26.
to smell or sniff (
wine, etc)
28.
to move or cause to move forwards slowly and carefully
the car nosed along the cliff top
we nosed the car into the garage
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
noseless (ˈnoseless) adjective
noselike (ˈnoseˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English nosu; related to Old Frisian nose, Norwegian nosa to smell and nus smell
Word Frequency
nose in American English
noun
1.
2.
3.
the sense of smell
6.
verb transitiveWord forms: nosed or ˈnosing
9.
to discover or perceive by or as if by the sense of smell
10.
to touch or rub with the nose
12.
to make or push (a way, etc.) cautiously or slowly with the front forward
the ship nosed its way into the harbor
verb intransitive
13.
to smell; sniff
14.
to pry inquisitively
15.
to move cautiously or slowly with the front end forward
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME < OE nosu, akin to Ger nase, orig. a dual, meaning “the two nostrils” < IE base *nas-, nostril > Sans nāsā, the nose, lit., pair of nostrils, L nasus, nose & naris (pl. nares), nostril
Example sentences including
nose
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.
Read more…
Quotations
Give me a man with a good
allowance of nose
Word lists with
nose
parts of an aircraft,
parts of an aircraftQuick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
Which part of an aircraft am I?
a vertical surface to which the rudder is attached, usually placed at the rear of an aeroplane to give stability about the vertical axis
Which part of an aircraft am I?
a tubular ring around the hub of an aircraft propeller through which antifreeze solution is spread over the propeller blades by centrifugal force
Which part of an aircraft am I?
a transparent dome or any bulge on the fuselage of an aircraft, such as one used for observation
Which part of an aircraft am I?
a streamlined aircraft structure for attaching an engine pod, external fuel tank, etc, to the main body of the aircraft
Which part of an aircraft am I?
short for Pitot-static tube, esp one fitted to an aircraft
Your score:
More idioms containing
nose
Trends of
nose
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In other languages
nose
British English: nose
/nəʊz/ NOUN
Your nose is the part of your face which sticks out above your mouth. You use it for smelling and breathing.
She wiped her nose with a tissue.
- American English: nose
- Arabic: أَنْفٌ
- Brazilian Portuguese: nariz
- Chinese: 鼻
- Croatian: nos
- Czech: nos
- Danish: næse
- Dutch: neus
- European Spanish: nariz
- Finnish: nenä
- French: nez
- German: Nase
- Greek: μύτη
- Italian: naso
- Japanese: 鼻
- Korean: 코
- Norwegian: nese
- Polish: nos
- European Portuguese: nariz
- Romanian: nas
- Russian: нос
- Latin American Spanish: nariz
- Swedish: näsa
- Thai: จมูก
- Turkish: burun
- Ukrainian: ніс
- Vietnamese: mũi
British English: nose VERB
If a vehicle noses in a certain direction or if you nose it there, you move it slowly and carefully in that direction.
He could not see the driver as the car nosed forward.
Nearby words of
nose
Source
Definition of nose from the
Collins English Dictionary
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long-term goal or winning goal?
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long-term goal
winning goal
This needs to be approached in a realistic manner.
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murder scene
music scene
Mobile signals enabled police to place them at the .
environmental damage or nerve damage?
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Question: 1
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Score: 0 / 5
main or mane?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
mane
main
The horse's can be washed at the same time as his body.
dew or due?
Which version is correct?
foul or fowl?
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foul
fowl
The smell was really quite .
shaken or shook?
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shook
shaken
The nurse the thermometer and put it under my arm.
populace or populous?
Which version is correct?
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