brownie
noun
(in folklore) a tiny, fanciful, good-natured brown elf who secretly helps at night with household chores.
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brownie
American
[brau-nee]
/ ˈbraʊ ni /
noun
-
brownies
plural
-
(in folklore) a tiny, fanciful, good-natured brown elf who secretly helps at night with household chores.
-
a small, chewy, cakelike cookie, usually made with chocolate and containing nuts.
-
Australian. a bread with currants, baked in a camp oven.
-
Sometimes Brownie a member of the junior division of the Girl Scouts or the Girl Guides, being a girl in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade and usually between six and eight years old.
brownie
1
British
/ ˈbraʊnɪ /
noun
-
(in folklore) an elf said to do helpful work at night, esp household chores
-
a small square nutty chocolate cake
-
history a bread made with currants
Brownie
2
British
/ ˈbraʊnɪ /
noun
-
another name for Brownie Guide
-
(formerly) a popular make of simple box camera
Usage
What is a brownie? A brownie is a small, chewy chocolate cake-like dessert that often includes nuts, as in We loved Nana’s brownies so much that we begged her to make them for every party. In British folklore, a brownie is a tiny, brown elf that secretly assists with chores during the night, as in I once heard a fairy tale about a brownie who helped a cobbler clean his workshop. Example: The first thing I learned to bake was brownies, and I still love to bake them.
Synonym Usage
See fairy.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of brownie
First recorded in 1520–30; brown + -ie; in folkloric sense, originally Scots
Vocabulary lists containing brownie
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“China gets a lot of goodwill brownie points throughout the region with what they’re doing with Cuba,” said Jorge Piñón, who studies Cuban energy at the University of Texas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
At a trade show in February this year, Helene Godin pitched her bakery’s mini-Bundt cakes and brownie bites to some of the biggest supermarket chains in the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
“I took an Advil and served birthday cake, brownie, chocolate fudge.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026
"I didn't really know what a cake or a doughnut or a brownie was until I started having after-school parties in California," she says.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
I shared half my brownie with her at lunch and told her a really cheesy joke to make her smile.
From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy
We had slogans and passwords, and made the Brownie promise: “I promise to do my best, to do my duty to God and the King, to help other people every day, especially those at home.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025
Stone, who was born on 13 June 1932 in Chelsea, began taking photographs aged 13 after his mother gave him a Box Brownie Kodak camera that cost two shillings and sixpence.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2024
“He’s worked with great hitters. He’s helped them turn keys. He’s got unbelievable energy. We know Brownie from his time with us, and it was a no-brainer for us.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
You’ve worked on what I think of as “uncle episodes,” where the focus is on some of the elders like Uncle Brownie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2023
Brownie, whose real name was John Brown, stopped to yap to him.
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
I had, apparently, dragged my brownies through the garden.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
Packed with cookies, brownies, old-school sprinkle cakes or lemon drizzle, they are usually found in front gardens, on driveways or by the roadside.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
“As someone who loves brownies but cannot bake, this appeals as another way to get that sweet smell in the house.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
Her boyfriend got it from BadAsh Bakes, the viral bakery based in Pasadena best known for its cinnamon rolls, cookies, brownies and layer cakes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Surprising us with brownies after a particularly intense workout.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
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