frown
Americanverb (used without object)
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frowns,
present (3rd person singular)
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frowned,
past participle, past
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frowning
present participle
verb (used with object)
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frowns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
frowned,
past participle, past
-
frowning
present participle
-
to express by a frown.
to frown one's displeasure.
-
to force or shame with a disapproving frown.
to frown someone into silence.
noun
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frowns
plural
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a frowning look; scowl.
-
any expression or show of disapproval.
a tax bill that received Congressional frowns.
verb
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(intr) to draw the brows together and wrinkle the forehead, esp in worry, anger, or concentration
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(intr; foll by on or upon) to have a dislike (of); look disapprovingly (upon)
the club frowned upon political activity by its members
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(tr) to express (worry, etc) by frowning
-
to force, silence, etc, by a frowning look
noun
-
the act of frowning
-
a show of dislike or displeasure
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
frownsimple
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frownssimple
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have frownedperfect
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has frownedperfect
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am frowningprogressive
-
are frowningprogressive
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is frowningprogressive
-
have been frowningperfect progressive
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has been frowningperfect progressive
Past
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frownedsimple
-
had frownedperfect
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was frowningprogressive
-
were frowningprogressive
-
had been frowningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of frown
1350–1400; Middle English frounen < Old French froignier, derivative of froigne surly expression, probably < Gaulish *frognā; compare Welsh ffroen, Old Breton fron nostril, Old Irish srón nose < Celtic *srognā or *sroknā
Explanation
If you frown at someone, you look at them with disapproval, and if you frown on something they do, you don't approve of that either. Because you frown on smoking, you probably frown at smokers too! The distant ancestors of frown, the ones that came long before Old French, meant "nose." Think about the expression, to look down one's nose at someone or something, which means "to disapprove of." If you have a frown on your face, you definitely don't like what you see! Sometimes when you're thinking hard about something, you might frown, but that is probably more of an expression of concentration than disapproval.
Vocabulary lists containing frown
"Thank You, M'am"
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Chiasmus from Top AP English Exam Novels
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"The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare, Act V
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Tjjze warps the equivalent of the face into the equivalent of a frown as more data are revealed.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
James Butts, the mayor of Inglewood, has said he would frown upon a ballpark there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
AI companies, including ChatGPT maker OpenAI, frown on chatbot sharing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Making "Year of the Horse" stuffed toys in a workshop, an employee accidentally stitched the festive foal's mouth on upside-down -- turning its cheerful expression into a gloomy frown.
From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026
Fina nods as I talk, and Ruby’s frown grows deeper and deeper until she wears a panicked look, like I’ve just told her that I’m dying.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
Dogs are exceptionally skilled at reading human emotions, from smiles and laughter to frowns and tears.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Peet has wrinkles on her face, her forehead moves, and when she frowns, she frowns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
Young visitors at the Vietnam Military History Museum posted photos of themselves next to the flag with deep frowns, thumbs down or middle fingers raised.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2025
And generally, the law frowns on making a person’s status—rather than their actions—the basis of a crime or a lawsuit.
From Slate ● May 13, 2024
Hana’s smile gets wide, but then she looks at me like I caught her rifling through Momma’s purse, and she frowns at me.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
Papi said he doesn’t regret coming illegally, because he needed a job and sneaking in wasn’t frowned on at the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
The Ottoman Caliphate zone, especially, frowned on painting humans from life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Expressing our rage at all that, however, is still frowned upon.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
In the past, administrators "frowned upon trade schools, they wanted to steer everybody to go to college."
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
He turned to Jeremy and frowned, as if the idea of a customer was truly annoying.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
In the troika of major figures in the Russian Revolution, Trotsky stood for ideas and Stalin represented power; their predecessor, Vladimir Lenin, had fused the two values as the frowning avatar of communist leadership.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Many consumers have bought both the smiling and frowning versions, to represent both the highs and lows expected in the coming year.
From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026
"He just kinda crept up on the guy and was looming over his shoulder and frowning at him while the guy was speaking."
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2024
One chilling video from his inauguration caught her smiling at her husband and then frowning as soon as he turned his back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2024
Mama’s frowning now, and it’s like I can see the thoughts running through her mind.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
