Meaning & use
nose crinkle
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A small wrinkling of the nose, often showing dislike, disgust, or amusement.
Grammar: Countable: a nose crinkle, with a nose crinkle. The verb form is usually 'wrinkle your nose', not 'crinkle your nose'.
Patterns
- with a nose crinkle
- a slight nose crinkle
- a nose crinkle of disgust
She looked at the spoiled milk with a nose crinkle.
A quick nose crinkle showed what he thought of the idea.
His nose crinkle turned into a smile when he saw the puppy.
Word forms
| plural | nose crinkles |
|---|
Common combinations
- a slight nose crinkle
- There was a slight nose crinkle before she agreed.
- with a nose crinkle
- He answered with a nose crinkle of doubt.
- a nose crinkle of disgust
- The smell caused a nose crinkle of disgust.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: nose crinkle or nose wrinkle?
nose crinkle vs nose wrinkle
This is the more common everyday phrase for the same movement. 'Nose crinkle' sounds more literary or descriptive.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'nose crinkle' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
A nose crinkle typically shows dislike or disgust, so it fits the bitter medicine. Option 1 describes good news, option 2 describes physical effort, and option 3 describes a routine action, none of which naturally causes a nose crinkle.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nose crinkle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.