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nose

Syllabification: (nose)
Pronunciation: /nōz/

Translate nose | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of nose

noun

  • 1the part projecting above the mouth on the face of a person or animal, containing the nostrils and used for breathing and smelling.
  • [in singular] the sense of smell, especially a dog’s ability to track something by its scent:a dog with a keen nose
  • [in singular] an instinctive talent for detecting something:he has a nose for a good script
  • the aroma of a particular substance, especially wine.
  • 2the front end of an aircraft, car, or other vehicle.
  • a projecting part of something:the nose of the saddle
  • 3 [in singular] a look, especially out of curiosity:she wanted a good nose around the house
  • informal a police informer.

verb

  • 1 [no object] (of an animal) thrust its nose against or into something, especially in order to smell it:the pony nosed at the straw
  • [with object] smell or sniff (something).
  • 2 [no object] investigate or pry into something:I was anxious to get inside and nose around her house she’s always nosing into my business
  • [with object] detect by diligent searching.
  • 3 [no object] (of a vehicle or its driver) make one’s way cautiously forward:he turned left and nosed into an empty parking space
  • (of a competitor) manage to achieve a winning or leading position, especially by a small margin:they nosed ahead by one point

Phrases

by a nose

(of a victory) by a very narrow margin.

count noses

count people, typically in order to determine the numbers in a vote.

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

hurt oneself in the course of trying to hurt another.

give someone a bloody nose

inflict a resounding defeat on someone.

have one's nose in a book

be reading studiously or intently.

keep one's nose clean

informal stay out of trouble.

keep one's nose out of

refrain from interfering in (someone else’s affairs).

keep one's nose to the grindstone

see grindstone.

nose to tail

(of vehicles) moving or standing close behind one another, especially in heavy traffic.

not see further than one's (or the end of one's) nose

be unwilling or fail to consider different possibilities or to foresee the consequences of one’s actions.

on the nose

  • 1to a person’s sense of smell:the wine is pungently smoky and peppery on the nose
  • 2 informal precisely:at ten on the nose the van pulled up
  • 3 informal (of betting) on a horse to win (as opposed to being placed).

put someone's nose out of joint

informal upset or annoy someone.

speak through one's nose

pronounce words with a nasal twang.

turn one's nose up at something

informal show distaste or contempt for something:he turned his nose up at the job

under someone's nose

informal directly in front of someone:he thrust the paper under the inspector’s nose
(of an action) committed openly and boldly, but without someone noticing or noticing in time to prevent it.

with one's nose in the air

haughtily:she walked past the cars with her nose in the air

Derivatives

nosed

adjective
[in combination]:snub-nosed

noseless

adjective

Origin:

Old English nosu; related to Dutch neus, and more remotely to German Nase, Latin nasus, and Sanskrit nāsā; also to ness

nose in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of nose in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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