Meaning & use
wrinkling your nose
Last updated
“wrinkling your nose” is a form of “wrinkle your nose”.
Meanings
phraseidiom
Moving the skin at the top of your nose into small lines, usually to show dislike or doubt.
Grammar: The possessive changes with the subject: 'I wrinkled my nose', 'She wrinkled her nose'.
Patterns
- wrinkle your nose at something
- wrinkling your nose in disgust
She was wrinkling her nose at the smell of the fish.
He kept wrinkling his nose while he listened to the excuse.
Wrinkling your nose like that usually means you do not believe me.
phraseidiomfigurative
Showing that you think something is bad, silly, or not good enough.
Grammar: Often used with 'at' to name the thing you disapprove of: 'wrinkle your nose at the price'.
Patterns
- wrinkle your nose at something
The critics wrinkled their noses at the new design.
Some investors are wrinkling their nose at the offer.
She wrinkled her nose at the idea of working weekends.
Word forms
| base form | wrinkle your nose |
|---|---|
| third person singular | wrinkles your nose |
| past tense | wrinkled your nose |
| past participle | wrinkled your nose |
| -ing form | wrinkling your nose |
Common combinations
- wrinkle your nose at
- She wrinkled her nose at the bitter coffee.
- wrinkling your nose in disgust
- He looked at the mess, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
- wrinkle your nose slightly
- The baby wrinkled her nose slightly and turned away.
- wrinkle your nose in concentration
- She was wrinkling her nose in concentration as she read the puzzle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scrunch up your nose
- This is a more informal way to describe the same small movement, often with a stronger squeezing action.
- turn your nose up at
- This idiom focuses on rejecting something because you think it is not good enough, not just on the facial movement.
Word family
- wrinkle noun
- A small line or fold in skin or cloth.
- wrinkled adjective
- Having small lines or folds.
Commonly confused: wrinkling your nose or wrinkle?
wrinkling your nose vs wrinkle
'Wrinkle' is the base verb or a noun; 'wrinkling your nose' is the -ing phrase that describes the action in progress or as a participle.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase takes a possessive before 'nose' and 'at' before the thing disliked. Option 1 has the right pattern; option 2 uses the wrong preposition; option 3 is missing the possessive; option 4 uses the base form after 'was' instead of the -ing form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wrinkling your nose”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.