Meaning & use
pug nose
Last updated
UK/ˈpʌɡ nəʊz/
US/ˈpʌɡ noʊz/
Meaning
nouncountable
A short, broad nose that turns up slightly at the tip.
Grammar: Count noun; 'pug-nosed' is the adjective form: a pug-nosed child.
Patterns
- have a pug nose
The baby had a tiny pug nose that wrinkled when she laughed.
The portrait showed an old man with a pug nose and bushy eyebrows.
Her pug nose was the feature everyone in the family shared.
Word forms
| plural | pug noses |
|---|
Common combinations
- a small pug nose
- He had a small pug nose and freckles.
- pug-nosed
- The pug-nosed boy grinned at the camera.
- short pug nose
- The cartoon hero was drawn with a short pug nose.
- have a pug nose
- Several members of the family have a pug nose.
Synonyms and how they differ
- snub nose
- Snub nose is very close, but it stresses being short and flat, whereas pug nose also stresses the upturned tip.
- button nose
- Button nose is affectionate and suggests a small, cute nose, often for children.
- turned-up nose
- A turned-up nose may be long, while a pug nose is always short.
Opposites
Roman nosehooked nose
Word family
- pug-nosed adjective
- having a short, upturned nose
- pug noun
- a small dog with a flat face and curled tail
Commonly confused: pug nose or pug?
pug nose vs pug
A pug is a dog breed with a flat face. A pug nose is the short, upturned nose, which people can also have.
Practice
Which phrase describes someone with a pug nose?
Choose one answer.
A pug nose is short and turned up at the tip, like a pug dog's. The others describe different shapes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pug nose”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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