snub nose

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A short, slightly turned-up nose with a flat or rounded tip.

   Grammar: Countable: she has a snub nose.

   Patterns

   • have a snub nose
   • a snub nose on someone

   The little girl had freckles and a snub nose.

   Pugs are known for their snub noses.

   The portrait showed him with a small snub nose.

2. 2nouncountableinformal

   A revolver or pistol with a very short barrel, also called a snub-nosed gun.

   Grammar: Often shortened to snub-nose in crime writing.

   Patterns

   • carry a snub nose

   The detective kept a snub nose in his coat.

   A snub nose is easy to hide.

   The old film showed a snub nose on the table.

Word forms

Common combinations

snub-nosed

A snub-nosed puppy bounded up to us.

short snub nose

She has a short snub nose and wide eyes.

snub nose revolver

The snub nose revolver fits in a pocket.

cute snub nose

The baby's cute snub nose wrinkled when he laughed.

snub nose of a boat

The snub nose of the ferry pushed into the waves.

Synonyms and how they differ

button nose

Button nose is affectionate and suggests a small round nose, usually on a child.

pug nose

Pug nose is more specific, suggesting a squashed shape like a pug dog's, and may sound less flattering.

turned-up nose

Turned-up nose emphasizes the upward tilt, not the shortness.

retroussé

Retroussé is a formal, borrowed word for a nose that turns up at the end.

Opposites

Word family

snub verb

to treat someone coldly or ignore them

snub-nosed adjective

having a short, turned-up nose

nose noun

the facial organ for smell

snubber noun

one who snubs

Commonly confused: snub nose or snub?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “snub nose”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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