Meanings
present singular third person thumbs one's nose · participle present thumbing one's nose · participle past thumbed one's nose · past thumbed one's nose
- To place a thumb upon the tip of the nose, typically with the fingers spread and while simultaneously wiggling one's fingers, in a gesture of disrespect.
My brother thumbed his nose in reply to my snide remarks.
Synonyms: cock a snook
- figurativelyTo act disrespectfully, especially by flouting the object of disrespect.
Richard Feynman delighted in thumbing his nose at the dissidents and workers.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo place a thumb upon the tip of the nose, typically with the fingers spread and while simultaneously wiggling one's fingers, in a gesture of disrespect.
Origin
Translations
Catalan fer pam i pipa
- fer pam i pipato place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
Chinese Mandarin 嘲笑我的鼻子
- 嘲笑我的鼻子to place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
Dutch een lange neus maken
- een lange neus makento place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
Finnish näyttää pitkää nenää, näyttää pitkää nenää
- näyttää pitkää nenääto place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
- näyttää pitkää nenääto act disrespectfully, especially by flouting the object of disrespect
French faire un pied de nez
- faire un pied de nezto place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
German eine lange Nase machen, eine Nase drehen
- eine lange Nase machento place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
- eine Nase drehento place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
Hungarian orrot mutat, szamárfület mutat
- orrot mutatto place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
- szamárfület mutatto place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
- fittyet hányto act disrespectfully, especially by flouting the object of disrespect
Italian fare marameo
- fare marameoto place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
Korean 조롱하다
- 조롱하다 (joronghada)to place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
Polish zagrać na nosie
- zagrać na nosieto place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
Romanian tiflă
- tiflăto place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
Russian показа́ть нос
- показа́ть нос (pokazátʹ nos)to place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect
Cite this entry
thumb one's nose. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumb%20one's%20nose
“thumb one's nose.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumb%20one's%20nose. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thumb one's nose,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumb%20one's%20nose.
Source: thumb one's nose on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.