give someone a bloody nose

verb

To defeat or frustrate someone, but without doing any permanent damage.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbgive someone a bloody nose (third-person singular simple present gives someone a bloody nose, present participle giving someone a bloody nose, simple past gave someone a bloody nose, past participle given someone a bloody nose)

present singular third person gives someone a bloody nose · participle present giving someone a bloody nose · past gave someone a bloody nose · participle past given someone a bloody nose

  1. idiomaticTo defeat or frustrate someone, but without doing any permanent damage.
Cite this entry
APA

give someone a bloody nose. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/give%20someone%20a%20bloody%20nose

MLA

“give someone a bloody nose.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/give%20someone%20a%20bloody%20nose. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “give someone a bloody nose,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/give%20someone%20a%20bloody%20nose.

Source: give someone a bloody nose on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.