What does "nose" mean?
A protuberance on the face housing the nostrils, which are used to breathe or smell.
Nose
/[nəʊ̯z]/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A protuberance on the face housing the nostrils, which are used to breathe or smell.
- Grammar: nose is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: adamite, aeroplane, airplane, antlia.
- Useful contrasts: anosmia, keep out of, kissers.
- Usage evidence: If you go underwater, hold your nose and blow to clear your ears.
How to use "nose"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "nose" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "nose" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "nose" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "nose" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "nose" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adamite" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "nose", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A protuberance on the face housing the nostrils, which are used to breathe or smell.
"She had a small nose between two sparkling blue eyes."
- 2 a front that resembles a human nose (especially the front of an aircraft) wordnet
- 3 A snout, the nose of an animal.
- 4 the front or forward projection of a tool or weapon wordnet
- 5 The tip of an object.
"the nose of a tea-kettle, a bellows, or a fighter plane"
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 a projecting spout from which a fluid is discharged wordnet
- 7 The bulge on the side of a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, that fits into the hole of its adjacent piece.
- 8 the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals wordnet
- 9 The length of a horse’s nose, used to indicate the distance between horses at the finish of a race, or any very close race.
"Red Rum only won by a nose."
- 10 a natural skill wordnet
- 11 A perfumer.
"Jacques Polge, Chanel's top “nose” since 1978, made the decision when developers started trying to buy up land around Grasse, where the Muls cultivate three hectares of the precious plant."
- 12 the sense of smell (especially in animals) wordnet
- 13 The sense of smell.
"We are not offended with […] a dog for a better nose than his master."
- 14 a symbol of inquisitiveness wordnet
- 15 Bouquet, the smell of something, especially wine. idiomatic
- 16 a small distance wordnet
- 17 The skill in recognising bouquet.
"It is essential that a winetaster develops a good nose."
- 18 Skill at finding information. broadly
"A successful reporter has a nose for news."
- 19 The action of nosing, in the sense to snoop also, idiomatic
"They had a nose around the abandoned property."
- 20 A downward projection from a cornice.
- 21 An informer. slang
"[…] M was a Magsman, frequenting Pall-Mall; / N was a Nose that turned chirp on his pal; […]"
Verb
- 1 To move cautiously by advancing its front end. intransitive
"The ship nosed through the minefield."
- 2 defeat by a narrow margin wordnet
- 3 To snoop. also, ambitransitive, idiomatic, intransitive
"She was nosing around other people’s business."
- 4 rub noses wordnet
- 5 To detect by smell or as if by smell. transitive
"[…] if you finde him not this moneth, you ſhall noſe him as you go vp the ſtaires into the Lobby."
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 push or move with the nose wordnet
- 7 To push with one's nose; to nuzzle. transitive
"[L]ambs are glad / Nosing the mother's udder, and the bird / Makes his heart voice among the blaze of flowers: […]"
- 8 advance the forward part of with caution wordnet
- 9 To defeat (as in a race or other contest) by a narrow margin; sometimes with out. transitive
- 10 catch the scent of; get wind of wordnet
- 11 To utter in a nasal manner; to pronounce with a nasal twang. transitive
"to nose a prayer"
- 12 search or inquire in a meddlesome way wordnet
- 13 To furnish with a nose. transitive
"to nose a stair tread"
- 14 To confront; be closely face to face or opposite to. transitive
- 15 To dive down in a steep angle; to nosedive intransitive
- 16 To travel with the nose of the plane/ship aimed in a particular direction. intransitive
"The plane is nosing up!"
Example
"If you go underwater, hold your nose and blow to clear your ears."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "nose"?
Common synonyms include: adamite, aeroplane, airplane, antlia, aptness, beak.
How do you use "nose" in a sentence?
If you go underwater, hold your nose and blow to clear your ears.
How do you pronounce "nose"?
Pronounced /[nəʊ̯z]/.
Etymology
From Middle English nose, from Old English nosu, from Proto-West Germanic *nosu, variant of *nasō, old dual from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂s- ~ *nh₂es- (“nose, nostril”). See also Saterland Frisian Noose, West Frisian noas, Dutch neus, Swedish nos, Norwegian nos (“snout”), Low German Nääs, German Nase, Swedish näsa, Norwegian nese, Danish næse (“nose”); also Latin nāris (“nostril”), nāsus (“nose”), Lithuanian nósis, Russian нос (nos), Sanskrit नासा (nā́sā, “nostrils”).