brown-nose

[ broun-nohz ]

/ ˈbraʊnˌnoʊz /

Slang.

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See synonyms for: brown-nose / brown-nosing on Thesaurus.com

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.

true

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Compare ass-kissing.

Origin of brown-nose

First recorded in 1935–40; brown + nose

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

There was deep brown flesh, and bronze flesh, and pallid white flesh, and flesh turned red from the hot sun.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They became so brown and shriveled that they looked like walking beef jerky with New York accents.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The smell of grilled meat mixes with the exotic wafts of cinnamon tea served with a mush of sweet brown dessert.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech|Liza Foreman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I will turn my nose up when you offer me the rest of some delicious pastry that you nibbled on.
Why My Norovirus Panic Makes Me Sick|Lizzie Crocker|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST

They should have pointed the nose of the Airbus down and applied more power.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?|Clive Irving|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The case was an assault and battery that came off between two men named Brown and Henderson.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
"There's just one thing I'd like to ask, if you don't mind," said Cynthia, coming suddenly out of a brown study.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
It separates into three layers upon standing—a brown deposit, a clear fluid, and a frothy layer.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
I pictured him as slim and young looking, smooth-faced, with golden curly hair, and big brown eyes.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
Mr. Brown seizes the proffered member, and gives it as hearty a pressure as the publicity of the occasion will permit.
Physiology of The Opera|John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")

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 “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.

brown-nose

Origin of brown-nose

Words nearby brown-nose

Words related to brown-nose

How to use brown-nose in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for brown-nose (1 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for brown-nose (2 of 2)

Word Origin for brown-nose

Other Idioms and Phrases with brown-nose