Meaning & use
thumb your nose
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiomfigurative
To show open disrespect for a rule, authority or person by deliberately ignoring it or mocking it.
Grammar: Idiom with at: he thumbed his nose at the rules; the possessive matches the subject.
Patterns
- thumb your nose at someone
- thumb your nose at something
The company thumbed its nose at the safety regulations.
Teenagers love to thumb their noses at authority.
She thumbed her nose at critics and wore what she liked.
phraseidiomold-fashioned
To make a rude gesture of mockery by putting your thumb to your nose and wiggling your fingers.
Grammar: Literal use, rare: the child thumbed her nose at her brother.
Patterns
- thumb your nose at someone
The boy thumbed his nose at the teacher behind her back.
In the old film, the clown thumbed his nose at the audience.
She thumbed her nose at her sister and ran off laughing.
Word forms
| third person singular | thumbs your nose |
|---|---|
| past | thumbed your nose |
| -ing form | thumbing your nose |
Common combinations
- thumb your nose at authority
- He loved to thumb his nose at authority.
- thumb your nose at the rules
- The club thumbed its nose at the rules.
- thumb your nose at critics
- The director thumbed his nose at critics with his next film.
- thumb your nose at convention
- She thumbed her nose at convention by wearing red to the funeral.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flout
- Flout is more formal and means openly breaking a rule, whereas thumb your nose adds a playful or cheeky attitude.
- defy
- Defy means openly refusing to obey and can be serious, while thumb your nose stresses scorn.
- scoff at
- Scoff at means mocking in speech, whereas thumb your nose usually involves doing something in spite of others.
Opposites
Word family
- thumb noun
- the short, thick digit on the hand
- thumb verb
- to press or touch with the thumb
- cock a snook phrase
- a British expression meaning to mock in the same gesture
Commonly confused: thumb your nose or turn your nose up at?
thumb your nose vs turn your nose up at
Turn your nose up at means to reject something as not good enough, while thumb your nose at means to show open disrespect for a rule or person.
Practice
By ignoring the new law, the company seemed to ___ at the government.
Choose one answer.
Thumb its nose at means to show contempt for authority. Turn its back is close but suggests abandoning or ignoring, while 'thumb its nose' carries the mocking defiance.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “thumb your nose”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.