nose
- 01 A1 Beginner
n.the part of the face above the mouth that you use for breathing and smelling.
n.the prominent part of the face in humans and other mammals that houses the nostrils and the olfactory system.
Simple“He had a small scar on his nose from a childhood accident.”
In context“The surgeon explained that the structure of the nose consists of both bone and cartilage, which supports the nasal passages.”
Synonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
n.the front part of a vehicle, such as a plane, ship, or car.
n.the forward-most part of a vehicle, aircraft, or projectile.
Simple“The nose of the airplane was painted with a bright red stripe.”
In context“Engineers redesigned the nose of the high-speed train to improve its aerodynamic profile and reduce noise when entering tunnels.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the ability to smell things, or a person with a very good sense of smell.
n.the faculty of olfaction; also used metonymically for a person, such as a perfumer, with a highly developed sense of smell.
Simple“Dogs have a much better nose for tracking scents than humans do.”
In context“A professional nose in the perfume industry can distinguish between hundreds of different chemical compounds in a single scent.”
Synonymssmellolfaction - 04 C1 Advanced
n.the specific smell of a drink, especially wine.
n.the characteristic aroma or bouquet of a wine or spirit.
Simple“This red wine has a fruity nose with a hint of oak.”
In context“The sommelier noted that the vintage possessed a complex nose, featuring layers of dark cherry and tobacco.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a very small distance, often used to describe winning a race.
n.the length of a horse's nose, used as a measure of a very narrow margin of victory in a contest.
Simple“The horse won the race by a nose in a very exciting finish.”
In context“After a grueling sprint to the finish line, the incumbent candidate won the election by a nose.”
Synonyms - 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to move a vehicle forward slowly and carefully.
v.to advance a vehicle or vessel cautiously by moving the front end forward.
Simple“The driver had to nose the car into the busy traffic.”
In context“The captain carefully nosed the massive tanker into the narrow canal, guided by several smaller tugboats.”
- 07 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to try to find out private information about other people.
v.to pry or snoop into the private affairs of others; often used with 'around'.
Simple“I caught my neighbor nosing around my backyard yesterday.”
In context“Journalists were accused of nosing into the celebrity's private medical records to find a headline.”
- 08 C1 Advanced
v.to beat someone in a competition by a very small amount.
v.to defeat a competitor by a very narrow margin; frequently used in the phrasal form 'nose out'.
Simple“She managed to nose out her rival just before the finish line.”
In context“The local team nosed out the defending champions in the final seconds of the game, causing a major upset.”
Synonymsedge outnarrowly beat
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.