nose

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

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.

“The nose of the airplane was painted with a bright red stripe.”

“Engineers redesigned the nose of the high-speed train to improve its aerodynamic profile and reduce noise when entering tunnels.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

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.

日本語:鼻※

“Dogs have a much better nose for tracking scents than humans do.”

“A professional nose in the perfume industry can distinguish between hundreds of different chemical compounds in a single scent.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Technical

n. the specific smell of a drink, especially wine.

n. the characteristic aroma or bouquet of a wine or spirit.

Español:nariz

“This red wine has a fruity nose with a hint of oak.”

“The sommelier noted that the vintage possessed a complex nose, featuring layers of dark cherry and tobacco.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Sports

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.

“The horse won the race by a nose in a very exciting finish.”

“After a grueling sprint to the finish line, the incumbent candidate won the election by a nose.”

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.

“The driver had to nose the car into the busy traffic.”

“The captain carefully nosed the massive tanker into the narrow canal, guided by several smaller tugboats.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

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'.

“I caught my neighbor nosing around my backyard yesterday.”

“Journalists were accused of nosing into the celebrity's private medical records to find a headline.”

C1 · Advanced Sports Informal

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'.

“She managed to nose out her rival just before the finish line.”

“The local team nosed out the defending champions in the final seconds of the game, causing a major upset.”