nose
/nouz/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- The part of the face that contains the nostrils and is used for breathing and smelling: The organ of smell and the entrance to the respiratory tract.
- The sense of smell: The ability to perceive odors.
- A natural talent for detecting or finding something: An instinctive skill for discovery.
- The front or projecting part of something: The forward-facing or pointed end of an object, vehicle, or tool.
- A small margin or lead: A very narrow advantage or distance.
Verb:
- To search or pry inquisitively: To investigate or look around in a meddlesome way.
- To move or push forward cautiously: To advance carefully, especially with the front end.
- To perceive by or as if by smell: To detect or discover through scent or investigation.
- To touch or rub with the nose: To nuzzle.
- To defeat by a very small margin: To win narrowly.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- She has a small nose. (She has a small organ on her face for smelling.)
- The dog has an excellent nose. (The dog has a very good sense of smell.)
- A good reporter has a nose for news. (A good reporter has a natural talent for finding stories.)
- The nose of the plane was damaged. (The front part of the aircraft was damaged.)
- He won the race by a nose. (He won the race by a very small distance.)
Verb:
- Don't nose into my private affairs. (Do not pry into my personal business.)
- The car nosed into the tight parking spot. (The car moved carefully forward into the narrow space.)
- The detective nosed out the truth. (The detective discovered the truth through investigation.)
- The horse nosed my hand. (The horse touched my hand with its nose.)
- Our team nosed out the competition in the final seconds. (Our team narrowly defeated the competition.)
Advanced Usage
To have a nose for something: To have a natural talent for finding or recognizing something.
- She has a nose for a bargain. (She is naturally skilled at finding good deals.)
To keep one's nose out of something: To avoid interfering in something.
- I wish he would keep his nose out of our project. (I wish he would stop interfering in our project.)
To look down one's nose at someone/something: To regard with contempt or disdain.
- She looks down her nose at fast food. (She regards fast food with disdain.)
To pay through the nose: To pay an excessively high price.
- We paid through the nose for those concert tickets. (We paid a very high price for the tickets.)
To turn up one's nose at something: To show scorn or rejection towards something.
- He turned up his nose at the simple meal. (He rejected the simple meal with scorn.)
Under someone's nose: Directly in front of someone, often surprisingly unnoticed.
- The keys were right under my nose the whole time. (The keys were in plain sight in front of me.)
Variants and Related Words
- Nosy (adj): Inquisitive in a meddlesome way.
- Our nosy neighbor knows everyone's business.
- Nosed (adj): Having a nose of a specified kind.
- A red-nosed reindeer.
- Nosebleed (n): A bleed from the nose.
- He got a nosebleed after the accident.
Synonyms
- Noun (organ): Snout, proboscis (for animals).
- Noun (sense): Olfaction, sense of smell.
- Noun (front): Front, tip, prow, bow.
- Verb (pry): Snoop, poke, meddle.
- Verb (detect): Scent, sniff out, discover.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Nose about/around: To search or pry around a place.
- The manager is always nosing around the office.
- Nose out: To discover something by searching; to defeat by a narrow margin.
- The journalist nosed out the scandal.
- The underdog nosed out the champion.
- Nose into: To pry into (a matter).
- He's always nosing into other people's business.
Related Idioms
- Cut off one's nose to spite one's face: To harm oneself in the process of trying to harm another.
- Refusing the promotion just to annoy your boss is cutting off your nose to spite your face.
- Follow one's nose: To go straight ahead; to act on instinct.
- Just follow your nose until you see the church.
- I don't have a map; I'm just following my nose.
- Keep one's nose to the grindstone: To work hard and steadily.
- If you keep your nose to the grindstone, you'll finish the project on time.
- Lead someone by the nose: To control someone completely.
- He lets his assistant lead him by the nose.
- Put someone's nose out of joint: To upset or annoy someone, especially by displacing them.
- Getting the promotion he wanted really put his nose out of joint.
- Speak through one's nose: To talk with a nasal tone.
- He has a cold and is speaking through his nose.
Noun
- a projecting spout from which a fluid is discharged
- a natural skill
- he has a nose for good deals
- the sense of smell (especially in animals)
- the hound has a good nose
- a symbol of inquisitiveness
- keep your nose out of it
- a small distance
- my horse lost the race by a nose
- the front or forward projection of a tool or weapon
- he ducked under the nose of the gun
- a front that resembles a human nose (especially the front of an aircraft)
- the nose of the rocket heated up on reentry
- the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
- he has a cold in the nose
Verb
- defeat by a narrow margin
- rub noses
- push or move with the nose
- catch the scent of; get wind of
- The dog nosed out the drugs
- advance the forward part of with caution
- She nosed the car into the left lane
- search or inquire in a meddlesome way
- This guy is always nosing around the office