QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Idioms about brown
browned off, Slang. angry; fed up.
do it up brown, Informal. to do thoroughly: When they entertain, they really do it up brown.
Origin of brown
before 1000; Middle English; Old English brūn; cognate with Dutch bruin,German braun,Old Norse brūnn; akin to Lithuanian brúnas brown
usage note for brown
Brown as a noun and adjective to describe people with a brownish skin color is often perceived as insulting. Historically it has been used by anthropologists and scientists as a racial and ethnic classification to describe various dark-skinned populations, as in North Africa, the Middle East, Malaysia, and South Asia. It is also a term associated with colonialism. In recent times, brown has been used of Hispanics and South Asians in North America, many of whom self-identify as brown.
OTHER WORDS FROM brown
Words nearby brown
brow antler, browband, browbeat, Browder, browed, brown, brown alga, brown algae, brown-and-serve, brown-bag, brown bagger
Other definitions for brown (2 of 2)
Brown
[ broun ]
/ braʊn /
noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use brown in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for brown (1 of 2)
brown
/ (braʊn) /
noun
adjective
verb
to make (esp food as a result of cooking) brown or (esp of food) to become brown
Derived forms of brown
brownish or browny, adjectivebrownness, nounWord Origin for brown
Old English brūn; related to Old Norse brūnn, Old High German brūn, Greek phrunos toad, Sanskrit babhru reddish-brown
British Dictionary definitions for brown (2 of 2)
Brown
/ (braʊn) /
noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with brown
brown
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.