pout
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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pouts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pouted,
past participle, past
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pouting
present participle
verb (used with object)
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pouts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pouted,
past participle, past
-
pouting
present participle
-
to protrude (the lips).
-
to utter with a pout.
noun
-
the act of pouting; a protrusion of the lips.
-
a fit of sullenness.
to be in a pout.
noun
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pout,
plural
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pouts
plural
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a northern marine food fish, Trisopterus luscus.
verb
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to thrust out (the lips), as when sullen, or (of the lips) to be thrust out
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(intr) to swell out; protrude
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(tr) to utter with a pout
noun
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(sometimes the pouts) a fit of sullenness
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the act or state of pouting
noun
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short for horned pout eelpout
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any of various gadoid food fishes, esp the bib (also called whiting pout )
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any of certain other stout-bodied fishes
Usage
What does pout mean? To pout is to act in a gloomy and irritated way; to mope or sulk. Children sometimes pout when they don’t get their way, often by sitting with their arms crossed and a specific look on their face: a kind of frown with the lips pushed out (sometimes just the bottom lip). This expression is also called a pout. The term is typically used in the context of young children, but it can be applied to adults in some situations. Example: My toddler pouts when he doesn’t get his way, but I guess it’s better than throwing a tantrum.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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poutsimple
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poutssimple
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have poutedperfect
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has poutedperfect
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am poutingprogressive
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are poutingprogressive
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is poutingprogressive
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have been poutingperfect progressive
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has been poutingperfect progressive
Past
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poutedsimple
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had poutedperfect
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was poutingprogressive
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were poutingprogressive
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had been poutingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pout1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pouten; probably from Old Norse; compare Swedish dialect puta “to be inflated,” Norwegian (noun) “pute ”
Origin of pout2
First recorded before 1000; Old English -pūta, in ǣlepūta “eelpout” (not recorded in Middle English ); akin to Low German pūtāl and aalputte “eelpout,” Dutch puit “frog”
Explanation
When something doesn’t go your way and you get annoyed about it, that’s a pout. And when you let the world know about it by thrusting out your lower lip, you are pouting. Get over it. When you pout, you’re expressing annoyance or displeasure. It’s a sulky kind of gesture, one that involves a facial expression more than words — in fact, a pout is often accompanied by a moody silence. The verb form of pout describes the action, and the noun form describes the facial expression. Maybe it's not a coincidence that a pout is also a type of fish. Pouting faces are a bit fish-like in their expressions.
Vocabulary lists containing pout
Bud, Not Buddy
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100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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Stargirl
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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:
Sophomore pitcher Kaylynn Lowman gave up two home runs to Murrieta Mesa in the first inning but didn’t pout.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
Her lips, coated in a nude lipstick, are pursed just enough to achieve the perfect pout.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2025
"I can see shadow of where its migrated.. I always joke with my friends when you see it - it's like Homer Simpson, like I've got a Homer Simpson pout."
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2025
But Balcer refused to fold or let the fan base pout.
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
JimmyTrotter was too respectful to utter an “Aw, shucks” and too old to poke out his bottom lip and pout.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
"I can't endure the sound of laughter before noon," she pouts perfectly.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2022
But he just dithers or pouts or stares at her blankly while the bad guys close in.
From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2022
So picture the angel who gave them the hook, Enduring their protests and pouts.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 28, 2021
He’s also freaked out when I want to go on a bike ride or to take a walk on the beach by myself, or even gets mad or pouts when I haven’t made dinner yet.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2020
She shoves his shoulder and pouts, her lips a brilliant shade of coral.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
I bought her a gift like I did Lana and Sophie, but once I gave Lana the gift card, she whined and pouted.
From Slate ● Oct. 12, 2023
He basically pouted until the Rockets sent him to Brooklyn … where he eventually pouted until he was sent to Philadelphia … where he will pout until he is sent to the Clippers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2023
So I responded as a typical teenager: I pouted, with my arms crossed, stubbornly refusing to enjoy it.
From New York Times ● Jan. 4, 2023
I pouted in the backseat while my dad drove our family up the 79, past the Grove City outlets, through Meadville and finally reaching Lake Erie.
From Salon ● Jul. 16, 2022
“Fine,” I pouted, unable to glare as effectively as I would have liked.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
Putting flowers on Aunt May’s grave each day and pouting when MJ is finally like “Thanks for saying you love me . . . I don’t know you.”
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
With the bases loaded, I was still pouting when the batter drilled the ball deep to right.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Firstly, while you are standing there pouting, our opponents are racing to their basket with a five-on-four advantage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026
I had snapped a photo earlier in which he appeared to be pouting.
From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2026
"You will, won't you, beautiful?" she said, her lips, raw-looking now without makeup, pouting babyishly.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
