brow

American  

[brou] / braʊ /

noun

1. Anatomy. the ridge over the eye.

2. the hair growing on that ridge; eyebrow.

3. the forehead.

   He wore his hat low over his brow.

4. a person's countenance or mien.

5. the edge of a steep place.

   She looked down over the brow of the hill.

6. gangplank.

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brow British  

/ braʊ /

noun

1. the part of the face from the eyes to the hairline; forehead

2. short for eyebrow

3. the expression of the face; countenance

   a troubled brow

4. the top of a mine shaft; pithead

5. the jutting top of a hill, etc

6. dialect a steep slope on a road

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brow Idioms  

1. see by the sweat of one's brow; cause raised eyebrows.

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Etymology

Origin of brow

before 1000; Middle English browe, Old English brū; akin to Old Norse brūn, Sanskrit bhrūs

Example Sentences

After a long silence, Severus tapped his brow and said to them: “Do you understand now that it is the head that is in charge, not the feet?”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

From the fevered brow of social media comes the tart phrase “aura farming.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026

Sweatband cradling his brow and lion inked on his back, the 31-year-old has boldly written his own legacy.

From BBC • Oct. 9, 2025

“Trying to work out why it should be released was actually quite an obstacle,” he says with a furrowed brow, but still bearing a smile.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2025

She rested two fingers on his cheekbone, on his brow, on his lips.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Related Words

• eyebrow