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brown-nose
[ broun-nohz ]
/ ËbraÊnËnoÊz /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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.
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.
Compare ass-kissing.
Words nearby brown-nose
Brown, John, brown lung, brown lung disease, brown mustard, brown noise, brown-nose, brownout, brown owl, brown paper, brown patch, brownprint
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use brown-nose in a sentence
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
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other 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 âto curry favorâ; 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 HeritageÂź Idioms Dictionary
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