Definition of 'nose'

Word Frequency

nose

(noʊz )

Word forms: noses, nosing, nosed

1. countable 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.

Synonyms: snout, bill, beak [slang], hooter [slang] More Synonyms of nose

2. countable noun

The nose of a vehicle such as an airplane or a boat is the front part of it.

They went over to the airplane and stood near its nose.

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. transitive verb/intransitive 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.

A motorboat nosed out of the mist and nudged into the branches of a tree.

See to keep your nose clean

See to follow your nose

See follow one's nose

See have a nose for sth

See to look down your nose at someone

10.

See to pay through the nose

11.

See to poke your nose into something

12.

See to rub someone's nose in it

13.

See turn up one's nose at sth

14.

See under sb's nose

15.

See nose to tail

16. to put someone's nose out of joint

Phrasal verbs:

See nose around

More Synonyms of nose

Video: pronunciation of
nose

nose in American English

(noʊz )

noun

the part of the human face between the mouth and the eyes, having two openings and cavities behind them for breathing and smelling

the part that corresponds to this in animals; snout, muzzle, etc.

the sense of smell

the overall smell of a wine; bouquet

the power of tracking or perceiving by or as if by scent

a nose for news

anything resembling a nose in shape or position; projecting or foremost part, as a nozzle, spout, prow of a ship, front of an airplane, etc.

the nose regarded as a symbol of prying or meddling

to poke one's nose into another's affairs

8. Slang

a police spy or informer

verb transitiveWord forms: nosed or ˈnosing

to discover or perceive by or as if by the sense of smell

10.

to touch or rub with the nose

11.

to push with the nose

with aside, open, etc.

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:

by a nose

count noses

cut off one's nose to spite one's face

follow one's nose

have one's nose out of joint

lead by the nose

look down one's nose at

put someone's nose out of joint

rub someone's nose in

turn up one's nose at

under one's (very) nose

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

Word Frequency

nose in British English

(nəʊz )

noun

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, rhinal

the sense of smell itself: in hounds and other animals, the ability to follow trails by scent (esp in the phrases a good nose, a bad nose)

3. another word for bouquet (sense 2)

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

any part regarded as resembling a nose in form or function, such as a nozzle or spout

the forward part of a vehicle, aircraft, etc, esp the front end of an aircraft

narrow margin of victory (in the phrase ( win) by a nose)

9. cut off one's nose to spite one's face

10. get up someone's nose

11. keep one's nose clean

12. keep one's nose to the grindstone

13. lead someone by the nose

14. look down one's nose at

15. nose to tail

16. on the nose

17. pay through the nose

18. poke one's nose into

19. put someone's nose out of joint

20. rub someone's nose in it

21. see no further than one's nose

22. turn up one's nose

23. under one's nose

24. with one's nose in the air

verb

25. (transitive)

(esp of horses, dogs, etc) to rub, touch, or sniff with the nose; nuzzle

26.

to smell or sniff ( wine, etc)

27. (intr; usually foll by after or for)

to search (for) by or as if by scent

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

29. (intr; foll by into, around, about, etc)

to pry or snoop (into) or meddle (in)

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

Examples of 'nose' in a sentence
nose

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

His perfect job was right under his nose all along.His image transformation has long given rise to rumours that he has had a nose job.If the company keeps its nose clean they should recover further.All that house dust can get right up your nose.The world would be a happier place if these footballers stopped rubbing our noses in their obscene wealth.We had to really work hard then show a bit of quality at the end to get our noses in front.Dec said:'We are going to rub his nose in a little bit.This is another clear case of how easy it is to miss something right under your nose.I'VE been having problems with my nose for the past few months.She messed around trying to touch her nose with her tongue.

Quotations

Give me a man with a good allowance of noseNapoleon Bonaparte

Word lists with
nose

parts of an aircraft, parts of an aircraft

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

Score: 0 / 5

Which part of an aircraft am I?

a streamlined structure attached by a pylon to an aircraft and used to house a jet engine (podded engine), fuel tank, armament, etc

nacelle pod pylon

Which part of an aircraft am I?

a small auxiliary aerofoil on the trailing edge of a rudder, aileron, or elevator, etc, to assist in the control of the aircraft in flight

elevon tab trimtab

Which part of an aircraft am I?

a system of fuel injection and combustion located behind the turbine of an aircraft jet engine to produce additional thrust

afterburner pulsejet winglet

Which part of an aircraft am I?

a car or cabin suspended from an airship or balloon

basket ejection seat gondola

Which part of an aircraft am I?

the main body of an aircraft, excluding the wings, tailplane, and fin

all-flying tail fuselage winglet

Your score:

Trends of
nose

View usage over:

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
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.

American English: nose
Brazilian Portuguese: mover-se
Chinese: 缓慢行驶
European Spanish: avanzar lentamente
French: avancer lentement
German: sich schieben
Italian: avanzare
Japanese: ゆっくり注意深く前進する
Korean: 천천히 움직이다
European Portuguese: nariz
Spanish: avanzar lentamente

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Nearby words of
nose

Related terms of
nose

Source

Definition of nose from the Collins English Dictionary

New from Collins

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

Score: 0 / 5

censor or sensor?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

censor

sensor

Television companies tend to bad language in feature films.

sang or sung?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

sung

sang

He has danced and on the telly.

thyme or time?

Which version is correct?

Thyme passed, and still she did not appear. Time passed, and still she did not appear.

loot or lute?

Which version is correct?

Most try to sell their loot for cash on the black market. Most try to sell their lute for cash on the black market.

flea or flee?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

flea

flee

The disease spread from rats to humans by bites.

Your score:

Apr 22, 2020

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Scrabble score
for 'nose':
4

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

Score: 0 / 5

retch or wretch?

Which version is correct?

The smell made me retch. The smell made me wretch.

yoke or yolk?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

yoke

yolk

The oxen were harnessed together by a .

sew or sow?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

Sow

Sew

the seeds in early March.

elicit or illicit?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

illicit

elicit

The trade was highlighted in an investigation last year.

place or plaice?

Which version is correct?

The best place to catch fish on a canal is close to a lock. The best plaice to catch fish on a canal is close to a lock.

Your score:

New collocations added to dictionary

Collocations are words that are often used together and are brilliant at providing natural sounding language for your speech and writing. February 13, 2020 Read more

Definition of 'nose'

nose

Video: pronunciation of nose

nose in American English

nose in British English

Examples of 'nose' in a sentence nose

Quotations

Word lists with nose

More idioms containing nose

Trends of nose

In other languages nose

Nearby words of nose

Related terms of nose

Source

Video: pronunciation of
nose

Examples of 'nose' in a sentence
nose

Word lists with
nose

More idioms containing
nose

Trends of
nose

In other languages
nose

Nearby words of
nose

Related terms of
nose