nostril
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of nostril
before 1000; Middle English nostrill, Old English nosterl, variant of nosthyrl, equivalent to nos ( u ) nose + thyrel hole; thirl
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.
The putrid smell assaults my nostrils before I see the dark spots and fuzzy green mold.
From Literature
![]()
It roared again, and sheets of fire belched from its mouth and nostrils, melting the snow and ice so that steam billowed into the air to mix with flame and choking smoke.
From Literature
![]()
Orville Payne was a tall man—so tall that when I looked up at him I could see clear inside his nostrils.
From Literature
![]()
Once it sniffed, sending a tiny puff of smoke out of its nostrils.
From Literature
![]()
That explosion of tomato and garlic, the ooze of cheese, it erased the smell of bleach that had scorched his nostrils; it filled up the hollow emptiness that yawned in his belly.
From Literature
![]()
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.