hold one's nose

verb

To pinch one's nostrils closed with one's fingers, usually to block out an unpleasant smell.

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Meanings

verbhold one's nose (third-person singular simple present holds one's nose, present participle holding one's nose, simple past and past participle held one's nose)

present singular third person holds one's nose · participle present holding one's nose · participle past held one's nose · past held one's nose

  1. To pinch one's nostrils closed with one's fingers, usually to block out an unpleasant smell.
  2. figurativelyTo reluctantly overcome one's revulsion.

    To the public, AIG symbolized everything that had gone wrong with the system […] But like the president, I understood that we had to hold our noses and save the company in order to protect the frail financial system.

    2010, Hank Paulson, On The Brink

Translations

Finnish pidellä nenäänsä
  • pidellä nenäänsäto pinch one's nostrils closed with one's fingers
Polish zatykać nos, zatkać nos
  • zatykać nosto pinch one's nostrils closed with one's fingers
  • zatkać nosto pinch one's nostrils closed with one's fingers
  • zatykać nosto reluctantly overcome one's revulsion
  • zatkać nosto reluctantly overcome one's revulsion
Cite this entry
APA

hold one's nose. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold%20one's%20nose

MLA

“hold one's nose.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold%20one's%20nose. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hold one's nose,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold%20one's%20nose.

Source: hold one's nose on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.