How to Use nostril in a Sentence

nostril

noun
  • My left nostril is stuffed up.
  • She left in a rage, her nostrils flaring.
  • Not with the scent of earth in my nostrils.
    — Literary Hub, 17 June 2026
  • Then breathe in through the right nostril, and out through the left.
    — Stephanie Mansour, NBC News, 15 May 2017
  • Not quite in the same way as whisky fumes in the nostrils, though.
    — The Economist, 23 May 2020
  • Use 1–2 sprays per nostril for adults.
    — Megan Nunn, Verywell Health, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Jets of cream came out of his nostrils like spaghetti.
    — John McPhee, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Inhale one more time through your left nostril and close it.
    — Daya Grant, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Feel the air rush through your nostrils as your lungs expand.
    — Jared Gall, Car and Driver, 24 Jan. 2020
  • Use one spray per nostril for children aged two and above.
    — Megan Nunn, Verywell Health, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Gasping for air, her mouth and nostrils clogged with dirt.
    — Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
  • His nostrils flared in and out in amazement.
    — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Steam rolled from its nostrils and bleeding mouth.
    — Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Cuong first drove a knife into each of his nostrils as a warm-up.
    — Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 5 June 2024
  • This can happen when the fly lays eggs in a toad’s nostrils or eyes.
    — Julissa Treviño, Smithsonian, 6 Mar. 2018
  • The mustard is the kind that singes your nostrils and leaves a tear in your eye.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024
  • But when the left nostril takes over, the body is in a more relaxed state.
    — Adam Taylor, CNN Money, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Studies have shown that at no point do both nostrils draw in the same amount of air.
    — Sarah Philip, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2025
  • The nostrils flared, the neck thick, the eyes shocked and orb-like, the mouth tight with some strain.
    — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2019
  • Notice how one nostril seems to be letting in most of the air?
    — Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
  • The familiar smell of a glue gun perked up my nostrils.
    — David Oliver, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Place the thumb of that hand on your right nostril and your ring and pinkie fingers on the left.
    — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 14 Sep. 2017
  • At a certain point, one nostril takes in air more rapidly.
    — Sarah Philip, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2025
  • Lagos comes in snatches, its smell stuck to the roof of my nostrils.
    — Tunde Wey, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Mar. 2018
  • For the record, she's also got nostrils, teeth, thumbs, feet and butt cheeks, plus more.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 9 May 2017
  • The two smelled much more different through the nostril that had been closed.
    — Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 5 Apr. 2024
  • And whenever the wind kicked up, the smell of dust and dirt filled the nostrils.
    — Deon J. Hampton, NBC News, 2 Oct. 2024
  • How does the vibration in the back of his throat and through his nostrils not rouse him?
    — Meredith Bodgas, Woman's Day, 29 July 2015
  • Then open your right nostril, and exhale through your right nostril.
    — Daya Grant, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026
  • The mask smell, high in my nostrils, is washed away by the banter with these people.
    — Jay Baruch, STAT, 27 Mar. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nostril.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: