Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: nosu

nose

1 noun
     
nose
Related topics: Biology, Air
nose1 S2 W2
1

on your face

[countable]HB the part of a person's or animal's face used for smelling or breathing [↪ nasal, nostril]COLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
big/long nose hooked nose/Roman nose (=a nose that curves out near the top) snub nose (=a small nose that curves up at the end) blow your nose (=clear your nose by blowing strongly into a piece of cloth) wipe your nose pick your nose (=remove dirt from your nose with your finger) punch somebody on the nose break your nose your nose is running (=liquid is coming out of your nose) runny nose (=when liquid is coming out of your nose) blocked nose (=you cannot breathe easily through your nose) wrinkle your nose the bridge of your nose (=the upper part, between your eyes)
He's got a really big nose.
He took out a tissue and blew his nose.
Stop picking your nose!
Someone punched him on the nose.
He broke his nose playing football.
Rachel had a sore throat and runny nose all day yesterday.
Tina wrinkled her nose as if she was smelling bad meat.
2

(right) under somebody's nose

a) if something bad or illegal happens under someone's nose, they do not notice it even though it is happening very close to them and they should have noticed it:
The drugs were smuggled in right under the noses of the security guards.
b) if something is right under someone's nose, they cannot see it even though it is very close to them:
The key was right under my nose all the time.
3

stick/poke your nose into something

to become involved in something that does not concern you, in a way that annoys people [↪ nosy]:
She always has to stick her nose into matters that do not concern her.
4

keep your nose out (of something)

spoken to avoid becoming involved in something that does not concern you:
I wish he'd keep his nose out of my business!
5

turn your nose up (at something)

informal to refuse to accept something because you do not think it is good enough for you:
My children turn their noses up at home cooking.
6

with your nose in the air

behaving as if you are more important than other people and not talking to them:
She just walked past with her nose in the air.
7

have a (good) nose for something

to be naturally good at finding and recognizing something:
a reporter with a good nose for a story
8

get (right) up somebody's nose

British English spoken to annoy someone very much:
I wish he wouldn't keep interrupting. It really gets up my nose.
9

keep your nose clean

spoken to make sure you do not get into trouble, or do anything wrong or illegal:
Sid's got to keep his nose clean or he'll end up back in prison.
10

on the nose

American English spoken exactly:
He gets up at 6 a.m. on the nose every morning.
11

keep your nose to the grindstone

informal to work very hard, without stopping to rest:
Jim had decided he was going to keep his nose to the grindstone.
12

have your nose in a book/magazine/newspaper

to be reading a book etc, especially with a lot of interest:
She always had her nose in a book.
13

by a nose

DSH if a horse wins a race by a nose, it only just wins
14

have a nose around

British English spoken to look around a place in order to try to find something, when there is no one else there
15

put somebody's nose out of joint

informal to annoy someone, especially by attracting everyone's attention away from them:
His nose has been a bit out of joint ever since Marion got here.
16

nose to tail

especially British EnglishTTC cars, buses etc that are nose to tail are in a line without much space between them:
Traffic was nose to tail for three miles.
17

plane

[countable]TTA the pointed front end of a plane, rocket etc
18

smell

[singular] the smell of a wine or tobacco [= bouquet]
➔ hard-nosed, brown-nose

; ➔ cut off your nose to spite your face

at cut off (10), nose job

; ➔ lead somebody by the nose

at lead1 (16)

; ➔ look down your nose at somebody/something

at look1 (8)

; ➔ pay through the nose

at pay1 (16)

; ➔ as plain as the nose on your face

at plain1 (1)

; ➔ poke your nose into something

at poke1 (7)

; ➔ powder your nose

at powder2 (2)

; ➔ rub somebody's nose in it/in the dirt

at rub1 (9)

; ➔ thumb your nose at somebody/something

at thumb2 (2)
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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