# cut off one's nose to spite one's face

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/cut-off-ones-nose-to-spite-ones-face
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary.

## Examples

- Don't cut off your nose to spite your face by quitting now.
- By refusing to work with the team just to annoy his boss, he is cutting off his nose to spite his face.
- She rejected the generous settlement offer out of pure anger, effectively cutting off her nose to spite her face while leaving herself with nothing.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.