Meaning & use
turn up your nose at
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
To reject or look down on something because you think it is not good enough for you.
Grammar: The possessive matches the subject: she turned up her nose at the offer.
Patterns
- turn up your nose at something
- turn your nose up at something
Don't turn up your nose at free tickets; they are worth a lot.
He turned up his nose at the cheap hotel and demanded something better.
Some critics turn up their noses at popular films.
Word forms
| third person singular | turns up his or her nose at |
|---|---|
| past tense | turned up his or her nose at |
| -ing form | turning up your nose at |
Common combinations
- turn your nose up at an offer
- She turned her nose up at the first offer.
- not something to turn your nose up at
- A free upgrade is not something to turn your nose up at.
- turn up your nose at the food
- The toddler turned up his nose at the vegetables.
- critics turn up their noses
- Some critics turn up their noses at pop music.
- turn their noses up at
- They turned their noses up at second-hand furniture.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sniff at
- Sniff at is shorter and more informal, often used in negative sentences about offers.
- look down on
- This describes a general attitude of superiority and is not tied to rejecting a specific thing.
- scorn
- Scorn is stronger and more formal, suggesting open contempt.
- disdain
- Disdain is literary and stresses a haughty feeling, not the action of refusing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: turn up your nose at or turn down?
turn up your nose at vs turn down
Turn down means to refuse politely; turn up your nose at adds disapproval or a feeling of superiority.
Practice
When offered a free meal, she did not _____ it, because she was hungry.
Choose one answer.
The idiom is turn up your nose at something, meaning to reject it with disdain. The others are not idioms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “turn up your nose at”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.