nose
noun /nəʊz/
/nəʊz/
Idioms 
enlarge image[countable] the part of the face that sticks out above the mouth, used for breathing and smelling things- She had dark eyes and a long narrow nose.
- He broke his nose in the fight.
- She wrinkled her nose in disgust.
- He pressed his nose up against the window.
- through your nose Try to breathe through your nose.
- He blew his nose (= cleared it by blowing strongly into a handkerchief).
- a blocked/runny nose
- Stop picking your nose! (= removing dirt from it with your finger)
- He held his nose as he passed the stinking dustbins.
- (figurative) He held his nose and voted for the bill anyway.
- He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose (= the hard part near the top).
Collocations Physical appearancePhysical appearancesee also Grecian nose, nasal, parson’s nose, Roman nose- A person may be described as having:
- (bright) blue/green/(dark/light) brown/hazel eyes
- deep-set/sunken/bulging/protruding eyes
- small/beady/sparkling/twinkling/(informal) shifty eyes
- piercing/penetrating/steely eyes
- bloodshot/watery/puffy eyes
- bushy/thick/dark/raised/arched eyebrows
- long/dark/thick/curly/false eyelashes/lashes
- a flat/bulbous/pointed/sharp/snub nose
- a straight/a hooked/a Roman/(formal) an aquiline nose
- full/thick/thin/pouty lips
- dry/chapped/cracked lips
- flushed/rosy/red/ruddy/pale cheeks
- soft/chubby/sunken cheeks
- white/perfect/crooked/protruding teeth
- a large/high/broad/wide/sloping forehead
- a strong/weak/pointed/double chin
- a long/full/bushy/wispy/goatee beard
- a long/thin/bushy/droopy/handlebar/pencil moustache
- pale/fair/olive/dark/tanned skin
- dry/oily/smooth/rough/leathery/wrinkled skin
- a dark/pale/light/sallow/ruddy/olive/swarthy/clear complexion
- deep/fine/little/facial wrinkles
- blonde/blond/fair/(light/dark) brown/(jet-)black/auburn/red/(British English) ginger/grey hair
- straight/curly/wavy/frizzy/spiky hair
- thick/thin/fine/bushy/thinning hair
- dyed/bleached/soft/silky/dry/greasy/shiny hair
- long/short/shoulder-length/cropped hair
- a bald/balding/shaved head
- a receding hairline
- a bald patch/spot
- a side/centre(British English) parting
- a long/short/thick/slender/(disapproving) scrawny neck
- broad/narrow/sloping/rounded/hunched shoulders
- a bare/broad/muscular/small/large chest
- a flat/swollen/bulging stomach
- a small/tiny/narrow/slim/slender/28-inch waist
- big/wide/narrow/slim hips
- a straight/bent/arched/broad/hairy back
- thin/slender/muscular arms
- big/large/small/manicured/calloused/gloved hands
- long/short/fat/slender/delicate/bony fingers
- long/muscular/hairy/shapely/(both informal, often disapproving) skinny/spindly legs
- muscular/chubby/(informal, disapproving) flabby thighs
- big/little/small/dainty/wide/narrow/bare feet
- a good/a slim/a slender/an hourglass figure
- be of slim/medium/average/large/athletic/stocky build
Homophones knows | noseknows nose/nəʊz//nəʊz/- knows verb (third person of know)
- Who knows what the future will bring?
- nose noun
- Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Extra ExamplesTopics Bodya1- Cats have very sensitive noses and rely heavily on scent markings.
- Charlie pressed his nose against the window.
- He stuck his bulbous red nose back into his pint of beer.
- He tapped his nose in a knowing gesture.
- His nose wrinkled with distaste.
- I had to wear a black moustache and false nose for the role.
- She dressed up as a clown with a white face and red nose.
- She walked with her shoulders back and her nose pointing skyward.
- She was weeping loudly and her nose was running.
- She wrinkled her nose as if she had just smelled a bad smell.
- The boy sat there with his finger up his nose.
- The dog pushed its wet nose into my palm.
- The sharp nose and thin lips gave his face a very harsh look.
- a child with a runny nose
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- bulbous
- huge
- …
- breathe through
- blow
- wipe
- …
- wrinkle
- twitch
- run
- …
- job
- ring
- bleed
- …
- through the nose
- up your nose
- the bridge of the nose
- with your nose in the air
- look down your nose at somebody
- …
- -nosed(in adjectives) having the type of nose mentioned
- red-nosed
- large-nosed
More Like This Compound adjectives for physical characteristicsCompound adjectives for physical characteristics- -beaked
- -bellied
- -billed
- -blooded
- -bodied
- -cheeked
- -chested
- -eared
- -eyed
- -faced
- -fingered
- -footed
- -haired
- -handed
- -headed
- -hearted
- -hipped
- -lidded
- -limbed
- -mouthed
- -necked
- -nosed
- -skinned
- -tailed
- -throated
- -toothed
- [countable] the front part of a plane, spacecraft, etc.
enlarge image- Heat detectors are fitted in the nose of the missile.
Extra ExamplesTopics Transport by airb1- He pushed the nose down for the final approach.
- The plane's nose dipped as it started descending towards the runway.
- [singular] a nose for something a special ability for finding or recognizing something synonym instinct
- As a journalist, she has always had a nose for a good story.
- [singular] a sense of smell
- a dog with a good nose
- (figurative) Good noses can always smell a fight brewing.
- [singular] a smell that is characteristic of a particular wine
- This Cote de Beaune has a good nose, with apricot and raisin aromas.
Word OriginOld English nosu, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch neus, and more remotely to German Nase, Latin nasus, and Sanskrit nāsā.
Idioms
by a nose
- (informal) (of a victory or defeat) by only a small amount (used mostly when talking about horse racing)
- He lost his first race by a nose but won the next three.
- Glen's Diamond was declared the winner by a nose from the 11–4 favourite.
cut off your nose to spite your face
- (informal) to do something when you are angry that is meant to harm somebody else but that also harms you
follow your nose
- to be guided by your sense of smell
- to go straight forward
- The garage is a mile ahead up the hill—just follow your nose.
- to act according to what seems right or reasonable, rather than following any particular rules
get/have your nose/snout in the trough
- (British English, informal, disapproving) if you say that people have their noses in the trough, you mean that they are trying to get a lot of money for themselves
get up somebody’s nose
- (British English, informal) to annoy somebody
give somebody a bloody nose
- to defeat somebody
- We have to give him a bloody nose in the election.
- Voters gave the government a bloody nose in the local elections.
have your head/nose in a book
- to be reading
- She always has her nose in a book.
have your nose in something
- (informal) to be reading something and giving it all your attention
- Peter always has his nose in a book.
have a nose round
- (British English, informal) to look around a place; to look for something in a place
- I’ll have a nose round and see what I can find.
it’s no skin off my, your, his, etc. nose
- (informal) used to say that somebody is not upset or annoyed about something because it does not affect them in a bad way
keep your nose clean
- (informal) to avoid doing anything wrong or illegal
- Since leaving prison, he's managed to keep his nose clean.
keep your nose out of something
- to try not to become involved in things that should not really involve you
keep your nose to the grindstone
- (informal) to work hard for a long period of time without stopping
lead somebody by the nose
- (informal) to make somebody do everything you want; to control somebody completely
look down your nose at somebody/something
- (informal, especially British English) to behave in a way that suggests that you think that you are better than somebody or that something is not good enough for you
- People who live in that area tend to look down their noses at their poorer neighbours.
- They tend to look down their noses at people who drive small cars.
nose to tail
- (British English) if cars, etc. are nose to tail, they are moving slowly in a long line with little space between them
- The traffic was nose to tail for miles.
on the nose
- (informal, especially North American English) exactly
- The budget should hit the $136 billion target on the nose.
pay through the nose (for something)
- (informal) to pay too much money for something
(as) plain as a pikestaff | (as) plain as day | (as) plain as the nose on your face
- very obvious
poke/stick your nose into something
- (informal) to try to become involved in something that should not involve you
- He’s always poking his nose into other people’s business.
powder your nose
- (old-fashioned) a polite way of referring to the fact that a woman is going to the toilet
- I'm just going to powder my nose.
put somebody’s nose out of joint
- (informal) to upset or annoy somebody, especially by not giving them enough attention
rub somebody’s nose in it
- (informal) to keep reminding somebody in an unkind way of their past mistakes
thumb your nose at somebody/something
- (informal) to make a rude sign with your thumb on your nose; to show that you have no respect for somebody/something
- The company just thumbs its nose at the legislation on pollution.
- They thumb their noses at all of our traditions.
turn your nose up at something
- (informal) to refuse something, especially because you do not think that it is good enough for you
- The children turn up their noses at almost everything I cook.
under somebody’s nose (informal)
- if something is under somebody’s nose, it is very close to them but they cannot see it
- I searched everywhere for the letter and it was under my nose all the time!
- if something happens under somebody’s nose, they do not notice it even though it is not being done secretly
- The police didn't know the drugs ring was operating right under their noses.
with your nose in the air
- (informal) in a way that is not friendly and suggests that you think that you are better than other people
- She walked in with her nose in the air, ignoring everyone.