nostril
Americannoun
-
nostrils
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of nostril
before 1000; Middle English nostrill, Old English nosterl, variant of nosthyrl, equivalent to nos ( u ) nose + thyrel hole; see thirl
Explanation
A nostril is one of the two holes in your nose through which you breathe, smell, and (sometimes) sneeze. Try not to get anything stuck in your nostrils; they're important passageways! Your nostrils are extremely important, since they provide a direct connection to your lungs — for air — and your olfactory nerves, which your body uses to smell things. You are almost certainly aware of your two external nostrils, but you may not know that you've got two more, inside your head at the very back of the nasal cavity. Most animals have nostrils, even fish — though they use theirs only for smelling, not for breathing. Fittingly, the Old English source of nostril, nosðirl, translates to "the hole of the nose."
Vocabulary lists containing nostril
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:
This one performed the same series of tests: A camera went into my nostril.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
A detail of the horse’s nostril on Kara Walker’s reimagined Stonewall Jackson sculpture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2025
Scientists say the strangest detail is a prong-like bone near its nostril.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2025
They introduced these virus suspensions drop-by-drop into each nostril of the piglets and monitored them for 5 days to see whether they displayed any symptoms, including changes in body temperature.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2024
Each nostril inhaling the breath the other nostril had expelled.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
The species also had a snout that extended farther beyond its nostrils than those of other crocodiles living at the time.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 13, 2026
Nurses and doctors wore biohazard suits and three layers of medical gloves when they entered his room, swabbing him for virus up his nostrils and in other sites like his eyelids twice a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
"Swollen face, a fever, lameness, drooling and crusting of the nostrils - if you do come across any of those clinical signs ring the department immediately and we will investigate."
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025
She wears layers of clothes and a bandana around her face to protect herself from chemicals on the plants that she says burned her nostrils as she breathed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025
The putrid smell assaults my nostrils before I see the dark spots and fuzzy green mold.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
