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• crown
  crown

  noun

  any of various types of headgear worn by a monarch as a symbol of sovereignty, often made of precious metal and ornamented with valuable gems.
• Crown
  Crown

  noun

  the sovereignty or realm of a monarch

crown

American  

[kraun] / kraʊn /

noun

• crowns
  plural

1. any of various types of headgear worn by a monarch as a symbol of sovereignty, often made of precious metal and ornamented with valuable gems.

2. a similar ornamental headgear worn by a person designated king or queen in a pageant, contest, etc.

3. an ornamental wreath or circlet for the head, conferred by the ancients as a mark of victory, athletic or military distinction, etc.

4. the distinction that comes from a great achievement.

5. the power or dominion of a sovereign.

6. (often initial capital letter) the sovereign as head of the state, or the supreme governing power of a state under a monarchical government.

7. any crownlike emblem or design, as in a heraldic crest.

8. the top or highest part of anything, as of a hat or a mountain.

9. the top of the head.

   Jack fell down and broke his crown.

10. Dentistry.

    1. the part of a tooth that is covered by enamel.

    2. an artificial substitute, as of gold or porcelain, for the crown of a tooth.

11. the highest point of any construction of convex section or outline, as an arch, vault, deck, or road.

12. the highest or most nearly perfect state of anything.

13. an exalting or chief attribute.

14. the acme or supreme source of honor, excellence, beauty, etc.

15. something having the form of a crown, as the corona of a flower.

16. Botany.

    1. the leaves and living branches of a tree.

    2. the point at which the root of a seed plant joins the stem.

    3. a circle of appendages on the throat of the corolla; corona.

17. the crest, as of a bird.

18. Architecture.

    1. a termination of a tower consisting of a lanternlike steeple supported entirely by a number of flying buttresses.

    2. any ornamental termination of a tower or turret.

19. Also called button. Horology. a knurled knob for winding a watch.

20. any of various coins bearing the figure of a crown or crowned head.

21. a former silver coin of the United Kingdom, equal to five shillings: retained in circulation equal to 25 new pence after decimalization in 1971.

22. the monetary unit of Denmark, Iceland, Norway, or Sweden: a krona or krone.

23. 1. the koruna of the former Czechoslovakia.

    2. the koruna of the Czech Republic.

24. a crimped metal bottle cap.

25. crown glass.

26. Cooking. crown roast.

27. Also called bezel, top. Jewelry. the part of a cut gem above the girdle.

28. a drill bit consisting of a metal matrix holding diamond chips.

29. Also called head. Nautical. the part of an anchor at which the arms join the shank.

30. Machinery.

    1. a slight convexity given to a pulley supporting a flat belt in order to center the belt.

    2. a slight convexity given to the outer faces of the teeth of two gears so that they mesh toward their centers rather than at the ends.

31. a size of printing paper, 15 × 20 inches (38 × 51 centimeters).

32. Nautical, Machinery. swallow.

33. Knots. a knot made by interweaving the strands at the end of a rope, often made as the beginning of a back splice or as the first stage in tying a more elaborate knot.

34. a crownpiece.

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verb (used with object)

• crowns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• crowned,
  past participle,  past
• crowning
  present participle

1. to invest with a regal crown, or with regal dignity and power.

2. to place a crown or garland upon the head of.

3. to honor or reward; invest with honor, dignity, etc.

4. to be at the top or highest part of.

5. to complete worthily; bring to a successful or triumphant conclusion.

   The award crowned his career.

6. Informal. to hit on the top of the head.

   She crowned her brother with a picture book.

7. to give to (a construction) an upper surface of convex section or outline.

8. to cap (a tooth) with a false crown.

9. Checkers. to change (a checker) into a king after having safely reached the last row.

10. Knots. to form a crown on (the end of a rope).

verb (used without object)

• crowns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• crowned,
  past participle,  past
• crowning
  present participle

1. Medicine/Medical. (of a baby in childbirth) to reach a stage in delivery where the largest diameter of the fetal head is emerging from the pelvic outlet.

Crown ¹ British  

/ kraʊn /

noun

1. the sovereignty or realm of a monarch

2. 1. the government of a constitutional monarchy

   2. ( as modifier )

      Crown property

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crown ² British  

/ kraʊn /

noun

1. an ornamental headdress denoting sovereignty, usually made of gold embedded with precious stones

2. a wreath or garland for the head, awarded as a sign of victory, success, honour, etc

3. (sometimes capital) monarchy or kingship

4. an award, distinction, or title, given as an honour to reward merit, victory, etc

5. anything resembling or symbolizing a crown, such as a sergeant major's badge or a heraldic bearing

6. 1. history a coin worth 25 pence (five shillings)

   2. any of several continental coins, such as the krona or krone, with a name meaning crown

7. the top or summit of something, esp of a rounded object

   crown of a hill

   crown of the head

8. the centre part of a road, esp when it is cambered

9. botany

   1. the leaves and upper branches of a tree

   2. the junction of root and stem, usually at the level of the ground

   3. another name for corona

10. zoology

    1. the cup and arms of a crinoid, as distinct from the stem

    2. the crest of a bird

11. the outstanding quality, achievement, state, etc

    the crown of his achievements

12. 1. the enamel-covered part of a tooth above the gum

    2. a substitute crown, usually of gold, porcelain, or acrylic resin, fitted over a decayed or broken tooth

13. the part of a cut gem above the girdle

14. horology a knurled knob for winding a watch

15. the part of an anchor where the arms are joined to the shank

16. the highest part of an arch or vault

17. a standard size of printing paper, 15 by 20 inches

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verb

1. to put a crown on the head of, symbolically vesting with royal title, powers, etc

2. to place a crown, wreath, garland, etc, on the head of

3. to place something on or over the head or top of

   he crowned the pie with cream

4. to confer a title, dignity, or reward upon

   he crowned her best cook

5. to form the summit or topmost part of

   the steeple crowned the tower

6. to cap or put the finishing touch to a series of events

   to crown it all it rained, too

7. draughts to promote (a draught) to a king by placing another draught on top of it, as after reaching the end of the board

8. to attach a crown to (a tooth)

9. slang to hit over the head

crown Cultural  

1. The part of a tooth above the gum, covered with enamel.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• recrown
  verb (used with object)
• crownless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• crowns
  plural

Participles

• crowning
  present
• crowned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• crown
  simple
• crowns
  simple
• have crowned
  perfect
• has crowned
  perfect
• am crowning
  progressive
• are crowning
  progressive
• is crowning
  progressive
• have been crowning
  perfect progressive
• has been crowning
  perfect progressive

Past

• crowned
  simple
• had crowned
  perfect
• was crowning
  progressive
• were crowning
  progressive
• had been crowning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will crown
  simple
• will have crowned
  perfect
• will be crowning
  progressive
• will have been crowning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of crown

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English coroune, cr(o)une, from Anglo-French coroune, from Latin corōna “wreath”; see corona

Explanation

A crown is a fancy, round ornament worn on the heads of kings and queens. To crown someone is to declare them a monarch or a champion. A crown is also a boring old top of something, like a tooth. Historically, a crown represented the country ruled by the monarch who wore it. In some cases, the person wearing a crown wasn't the king, but the head of a church, as most modern-day Catholic popes have done during certain ceremonies. Other kinds of crowns are the top of a hat or the top part of your head, and also the visible part of a tooth — or the artificial replacement made by a dentist.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crown Crown crowns crowned crowning

With neighbours like Thailand and Vietnam now getting into the game, the Philippines is acting to protect its crown.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Andrew Thomas KC - chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, which represents barristers who work in crown and magistrates courts - said the profession was "delighted".

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

Despite the downward slide in sales, GM was able to hold on to its crown as America’s top carmaker by volume, a title that Toyota is closing in on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

The reigning Olympic and world champion has not lost a match since March and added the Aichi-Nagoya crown to her Games title from China three years ago.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

Then there were others he’d never seen before: a large rabbit with horns and a golden crown.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

The jury at Woolwich Crown Court heard that Sepahvand does not deny his involvement but said he did it out of fear of the consequences of refusing.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

At Southwark Crown Court, Mrs Justice Cutts said Safi, an Afghan refugee, had been "in a psychotic state" and recommended that he be deported, but said the final decision rested with the Home Secretary.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Under the original plans, Lammy had wanted to reserve jury trials for the most serious "indictable" offences - meaning cases that are always sent to Crown Court, including murder and rape.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

Frank Ferguson of the Crown Prosecution Service's Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division said prosecutors "worked closely" with police to bring the charge and would continue to work alongside them as the investigation continued.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

“I talked to Mrs. Ramshaw at the Crown Inn, where he’s billeted,” Nigel says.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Dental crowns are protective caps placed over teeth that have been damaged or affected by decay.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

A cypress, representing the Tree of Life, crowns the central portal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

She was awarded back-to-back Ballon d'Or crowns in 2021 and 2022 and is favourite to win it again this year.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

James sparked the Miami Heat to NBA crowns in 2013 and 2014, brought his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers a title in 2016 and delivered a championship for the Lakers in 2020.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

The Doge and the Senate, delighted, offered to give Galileo tenure in his post at the University of Pisa for life, with his salary doubled to 1000 crowns a year.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

EXCLUSIVE: Markets had been expecting a bumper quarter following an ebullient start to the year crowned by SpaceX’s record-breaking IPO.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Thousands of rugby league fans turned out to watch an open-top bus parade, after Wakefield Trinity were crowned Super League champions.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

The runway slope and width create what’s known as a crowned runway illusion that distorts a pilot’s perception of height and distance during their final approach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Accompanied by her sidekick and netherworld patron King Grimsquawk – a crowned raven-baby holding a scepter – Workman conjures up one of the funniest small-screen comedies that isn’t officially on TV.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

She had pictured it differently,dose to shore, crowned with a beautiful white house.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

Buying a house used to be a crowning achievement after an athlete turned pro.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

The crowning glory of the collection is arguably the first-ever Flash Gordon comic strip.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Should their attention be all on Tadej's Pogacar's crowning as the joint most successful rider of all time, with five Tour titles?

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Putting him on the almighty dollar would be the crowning achievement of these efforts.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

I’d have to trust that Madoc had some way of forcing Balekin into crowning him.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Related Words

• inaugurate
• induct