brown-nose [broun -nohz] Slang
Word Origin
See more synonyms for brown-nose on Thesaurus.com verb (used without object), brown-nosed, brown-nos·ing. to curry favor; behave obsequiously. Show More
verb (used with object), brown-nosed, brown-nos·ing. to seek favors from (a person) in an obsequious manner; fawn over. Show More
Also brown-nos·er. a toady; sycophant. Show More
Origin of brown-nose First recorded in
1935–40; brown +
nose Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for brown-nose fawn ,
beseech ,
gush ,
praise ,
worship ,
brown-nose ,
kowtow ,
pamper ,
flatter ,
creep ,
humor ,
stoop ,
implore ,
blandish ,
kneel ,
wheedle ,
crouch ,
snivel ,
court ,
crawl British Dictionary definitions for brown-nose to be abjectly subservient (to); curry favour (with) Show More
an abjectly subservient person; sycophant Show More
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
Word Origin and History for brown-nose v. also brownnose , 1939, American English colloquial, said to be military slang originally, from brown (adj.) + nose (n.), "from the implication that servility is tantamount to having one's nose in the anus of the person from whom advancement is sought" [Webster , 1961]. Related: Brown-noser , brown-nosing (both 1950).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
