brown-nose
[ broun-nohz ]
/ ˈbraʊnˌnoʊz /
verb (used without object), brown-nosed, brown-nos·ing.
to curry favor; behave obsequiously.
verb (used with object), brown-nosed, brown-nos·ing.
to seek favors from (a person) in an obsequious manner; fawn over.
noun
Also brown-noser. a toady; sycophant.
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Words nearby brown-nose
Brownist, Brown, John, brown lung, brown lung disease, brown mustard, brown-nose, brownout, brown owl, brown paper, brown patch, brownprint
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for brown-nose (1 of 2)
brown nose
noun
vet science a form of light sensitization in cattle
British Dictionary definitions for brown-nose (2 of 2)
brown-nose
/ slang /
verb
to be abjectly subservient (to); curry favour (with)
noun
an abjectly subservient person; sycophant
Word Origin for brown-nose
C20: from the notion that a subservient person kisses the backside of the person with whom he or she is currying favour
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with brown-nose
brown nose
Solicit favor obsequiously, toady. For example, Harry was always brown nosing, but it didn't help his grades. This term originated in the military in the late 1930s, where it meant “to curry favor”; it alludes to ass-kissing when the backside being kissed is less than clean. Despite its scatological origin, today this slangy term is not considered particularly vulgar.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.