nose
Americannoun
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noses
plural
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the part of the face or facial region in humans and certain animals that contains the nostrils and the organs of smell and functions as the usual passageway for air in respiration: in humans it is a prominence in the center of the face formed of bone and cartilage, serving also to modify or modulate the voice.
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this part as the organ of smell.
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the sense of smell.
fragrances appealing to the nose.
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anything regarded as resembling the nose of a person or animal, as a spout or nozzle.
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the prow of a ship.
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the forward end of an aircraft.
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the forward edge of the head of a golf club.
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a projecting part of anything.
the nose of a pair of pliers.
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a faculty of perceiving or detecting.
to have a nose for news.
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the human nose regarded as a symbol of meddling or prying.
Why can't he keep his nose out of my business?
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the length of a nose.
The horse won the race by a nose.
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the bouquet of an alcoholic drink, especially the distinctive aroma of a wine.
verb (used with object)
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noses,
present (3rd person singular)
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nosed,
past participle, past
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nosing
present participle
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to perceive by or as by the nose or the sense of smell.
a cheese that could be nosed at some distance.
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to approach the nose to, as in smelling or examining; sniff.
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to move or push forward with or as with the nose.
The dog nosed its pup back into the yard. The boat nosed its way toward shore.
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to touch or rub with the nose; nuzzle.
verb (used without object)
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noses,
present (3rd person singular)
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nosed,
past participle, past
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nosing
present participle
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to smell or sniff.
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to seek as if by smelling or scent.
The dogs nosed after their quarry.
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to move or push forward.
to nose into the wind.
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to meddle or pry (often followed by about, into, etc.).
They are always nosing about in other people's business.
verb phrase
idioms
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count noses, to count the number of people in attendance.
Each time the troop left an exhibit the leader counted noses.
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on the nose,
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precisely, correctly, or perfectly.
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exactly on time.
We made it at ten o'clock on the nose.
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(of a bet) for win only.
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Australian Informal. decayed or putrid; stinking.
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Australian Informal. distasteful or unpleasant; of doubtful validity or propriety.
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hold one's nose, to repress feelings of distaste, repulsion, or offense for something that one is obliged to do.
He held his nose and voted for the bill.
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follow one's nose,
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to go forward in a straight course.
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to guide oneself by instinct.
I found the house by following my nose.
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look down one's nose at, to regard with disdain or condescension.
He had always looked down his nose at those who were poorer than he.
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cut off one's nose to spite one's face, to create a disadvantage to oneself through one's own spiteful action.
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rub someone's nose in, to persecute or tease someone persistently about; nag someone about.
I know I was wrong but you don't have to rub my nose in it.
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pay through the nose, to pay an excessive price.
They patronize small and exclusive shops where they cheerfully pay through the nose.
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keep one's nose clean, to behave oneself; avoid trouble or scandal.
Did he keep his nose clean after he got out of prison?
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keep one's nose to the grindstone. grindstone.
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lead (around) by the nose, to exercise complete control over; dominate totally.
He lets his brother lead him by the nose.
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turn up one's nose at, to regard with contempt; scorn.
My friend turns up his nose at anyone who hasn't had a college education.
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under someone's nose, plainly visible to; in full view of; in bold defiance of: Also under someone's very nose.
The theft took place right under the detective's nose.
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put someone's nose out of joint,
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to annoy or irritate greatly.
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to supersede a person in another's regard, devotion, etc.
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to thwart someone; spoil someone's plans.
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noun
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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
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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 )
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another word for bouquet
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instinctive skill or facility, esp in discovering things (sometimes in the phrase follow one's nose )
he had a nose for good news stories
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any part regarded as resembling a nose in form or function, such as a nozzle or spout
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the forward part of a vehicle, aircraft, etc, esp the front end of an aircraft
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narrow margin of victory (in the phrase ( win ) by a nose )
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to carry out a vengeful action that hurts oneself more than another
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informal to annoy or irritate someone
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to stay out of trouble; behave properly
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to work hard and continuously
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to make someone do unquestioningly all one wishes; dominate someone
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informal to be contemptuous or disdainful of
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(of vehicles) moving or standing very close behind one another
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slang
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(in horse-race betting) to win only
I bet twenty pounds on the nose on that horse
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precisely; exactly
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bad or bad-smelling
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informal to pay an exorbitant price
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informal to pry into or interfere in
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informal to thwart or offend someone, esp by supplanting him or gaining something he regards as his
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informal to remind someone unkindly of his failing or error
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informal
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to be short-sighted; suffer from myopia
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to lack insight or foresight
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informal to behave disdainfully towards (something)
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directly in front of one
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without one noticing
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haughtily
verb
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(tr) (esp of horses, dogs, etc) to rub, touch, or sniff with the nose; nuzzle
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to smell or sniff (wine, etc)
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(intr; usually foll by after or for) to search (for) by or as if by scent
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to move or cause to move forwards slowly and carefully
the car nosed along the cliff top
we nosed the car into the garage
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(intr; foll by into, around, about, etc) to pry or snoop (into) or meddle (in)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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nosesimple
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nosessimple
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have nosedperfect
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has nosedperfect
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am nosingprogressive
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are nosingprogressive
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is nosingprogressive
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have been nosingperfect progressive
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has been nosingperfect progressive
Past
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nosedsimple
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had nosedperfect
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was nosingprogressive
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were nosingprogressive
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had been nosingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of nose
before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English nosu; akin to Dutch neus, German Nase, Latin nāsus, Sanskrit nāsā
Explanation
Your nose is the body part sticking out of your face (not that pimple, the pointy feature with two nostrils used for smelling). A nose is a sense organ — your nose tells you if the milk's gone bad or the cantaloupe is ripe. Dogs' noses give them even more information, about where their owners have been or which neighbor cats have been hanging out in their yards. If someone says you "have a nose" for something, they mean you're talented at it. As a verb, nose means to pry or meddle, or for an animal to push its nose against or into something.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Most on the nose was 2013’s Elysium, in which healthcare is sporadic on a post-collapse Earth.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
The outermost end is called the distal tip, or the "nose" of the fiber.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
He said he did this to loosen up his neck, cheekbone and jaw bone muscles in order to get his lip on to his nose.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
It consists of a mask that is placed over a victim’s nose and mouth and a suction device that creates negative pressure to pull out a stuck object.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
I take one and blow my nose, buy a few seconds to arrange my thoughts.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
If there were any time to turn our noses up in defiance and refuse to engage with anything less than quality, it’s now.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
The staff’s “rebellion,” Ms. Rogoyska tells us, lay “not in poisoning the Germans’ soup but in keeping something hidden from their masters, right under their noses: the finest wine, and perhaps a few men, too.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
In the seaside resort of Palma de Majorca in the Balearic Islands, tourists, many in swimsuits, some standing in the water, watched the eclipse closely, protective glasses perched on noses.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
People become infected by breathing in the contaminated air or touching the infected surface and then touching their eyes, noses or mouths.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
We can’t even get our noses in the right places.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
He nosed out Mondego but was a head behind Atomic Age, who was half a length behind Atitlan, who was a neck behind Test Score.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
The versatile guitar nosed its way into every type of musical ensemble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
The champions nosed ahead through a Lewandowski penalty on 10 minutes after Marcos Alonso handled Fermin Lopez's shot, but Celta equalised a minute later.
From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2025
Crossing the bay, the boat nosed through the broken surface ice.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2025
Sometimes they nosed around the laboratory, and although Granddaddy seemed fond of them, he never let them in.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
The entire Crace clan is resisting Susan’s nosing about, imperiling the brand and jeopardizing the Netflix deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Bears, who can weigh up to half a ton and outrun humans, have been breaking into homes looking for food, nosing around schools and rampaging through supermarkets.
From Barron's ● Dec. 26, 2025
“Waiting on the End of the World” is the standout of the three choices, nosing ahead because there’s a great guitar line that winds through and both grounds and elevates the song.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2025
She was out shopping recently when a store employee told her she had seen an immigration agent nosing around the neighborhood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025
“More like you’re nosing around to see if anybody has anything worth stealing. Now you git out of here and stay out. I don’t want boys like you snooping around my house. Go on, now!”
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
