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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  

[kroun] / 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. 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 ² 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 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

Palou said he would attack Sunday with intensity usually reserved for the Indianapolis 500 as he chases a fourth consecutive IndyCar season crown and fifth in six years.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

If Mark Walter is selling one of the crown jewels of Los Angeles sports, is he about to sell the other?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

“In the serious world of running, Boston is the crown to do,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

They face Villa after defending their Champions League crown with victory over Arsenal in May, while Villa go into their first Super Cup since 1982.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

But if the merchant’s crown is just another way of saying he wanted to be rich, then maybe Samir already had it.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Kingston Crown Court heard how body-worn camera footage captured Nitisoara being arrested in a nearby alleyway, while Asafeti was found hiding on a rooftop.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

“You’re a walking Crown Heights,” quips a character, unfunnily.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Gibson's barrister asked the judge at Bristol Crown Court, Recorder Jaron Crooknorth, to defer sentencing and said that it would give him time to earn money with which to repay the victims.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Crown prosecutors are appealing against a sentence they call "manifestly inadequate" as it allows for the possibility of parole.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

“You needn’t pretend with me. I noticed you watching the Crown Prince.”

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 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

Following the defeat, his packed schedule, which also included lengthy runs to back-to-back hard-court crowns in Indian Wells and Miami in March, was called into question.

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

Mira Costa defeated Huntington Beach to win the section and regional crowns while Loyola fell to the Oilers in the section semifinals and did not play in regionals.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2026

Inside were the two wedding crowns made from rope and, coiled like snakes, the two long braids of hair, each tied with a crumbling black ribbon.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Those three, along with Klopp and Mourinho, were crowned champions in 24 of the 36 seasons in the league’s history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Mikaela’s grandmother and James crowned Mikaela’s parents the best dancers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Painter and Meadows were crowned BBC Sports Personality Coach of the Year winners in 2024.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The 13th series of the UK show ended on Monday, with Julia Majchrzak and Lorenzo Alessi crowned the winners.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

I was beginning to picture myself travelling first-class all over the globe with my Famous White Mouse Circus, and performing before all the crowned heads of Europe.

From "The Witches" by Roald Dahl

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

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Fittingly, Noskova's crowning glory watched by Czech-born Martina Navratilova - a nine-time singles champion - and one of her idols Petra Kvitova, who won in 2011 and 2014.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

By the 50th anniversary of Jefferson’s crowning achievement, he was already anxious about where the young nation was headed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

In a career that has taken the former London transport boss around the world, delivering a new Penn Station, he says, would be his crowning achievement: “To me, this is the daddy.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

Arthur loved his Lancelot so much that he wanted him to have a splendid setting, in which his crowning achievement could be done.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• inaugurate
• induct