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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
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"
"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."
Question 1 of 7
IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?
Compare ass-kissing.
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. 2022
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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