frown
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to express by a frown.
to frown one's displeasure.
-
to force or shame with a disapproving frown.
to frown someone into silence.
noun
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a frowning look; scowl.
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any expression or show of disapproval.
a tax bill that received Congressional frowns.
verb
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(intr) to draw the brows together and wrinkle the forehead, esp in worry, anger, or concentration
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(intr; foll by on or upon) to have a dislike (of); look disapprovingly (upon)
the club frowned upon political activity by its members
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(tr) to express (worry, etc) by frowning
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to force, silence, etc, by a frowning look
noun
-
the act of frowning
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a show of dislike or displeasure
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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frownsimple
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frownssimple
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have frownedperfect
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has frownedperfect
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am frowningprogressive
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are frowningprogressive
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is frowningprogressive
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have been frowningperfect progressive
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has been frowningperfect progressive
Past
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frownedsimple
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had frownedperfect
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was frowningprogressive
-
were frowningprogressive
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had been frowningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of frown
1350–1400; Middle English frounen < Old French froignier, derivative of froigne surly expression, probably < Gaulish *frognā; compare Welsh ffroen, Old Breton fron nostril, Old Irish srón nose < Celtic *srognā or *sroknā
Explanation
If you frown at someone, you look at them with disapproval, and if you frown on something they do, you don't approve of that either. Because you frown on smoking, you probably frown at smokers too! The distant ancestors of frown, the ones that came long before Old French, meant "nose." Think about the expression, to look down one's nose at someone or something, which means "to disapprove of." If you have a frown on your face, you definitely don't like what you see! Sometimes when you're thinking hard about something, you might frown, but that is probably more of an expression of concentration than disapproval.
Vocabulary lists containing frown
"Thank You, M'am"
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Chiasmus from Top AP English Exam Novels
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"The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare, Act V
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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:
Sharing Isn’t Caring: Even though AI companies frown on chatbot password sharing, people still do it, leading to embarrassing discoveries, personal data mix-ups and even cybersecurity issues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Making "Year of the Horse" stuffed toys in a workshop, an employee accidentally stitched the festive foal's mouth on upside-down -- turning its cheerful expression into a gloomy frown.
From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026
Even if you want to cry when you walk in the door, turn that frown upside down and greet your host with a warm hug and a smile.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 17, 2026
It was Sydney Brown's mother who first noticed her frown line.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2025
He had beady eyes and thin eyebrows, and it wasn’t until he smiled at Mrs. Dimblewit and it still looked like a frown that Seven realized his face was just always...sour.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Peet has wrinkles on her face, her forehead moves, and when she frowns, she frowns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
And generally, the law frowns on making a person’s status—rather than their actions—the basis of a crime or a lawsuit.
From Slate ● May 13, 2024
Others dressed as mimes with frowns painted on their faces.
From Seattle Times ● May 1, 2024
The mood in the room went from warm and joyful to uncomfortable frowns and embarrassment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2023
Le Bateleur floats to the top as she shuffles, and she frowns at the card before glancing around the café.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Henderson said he only realized the solicitation he’d been asked to do might be frowned upon after Orchid told him as much at their meal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
In the past, administrators "frowned upon trade schools, they wanted to steer everybody to go to college."
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
It was meant to address concerns about hygiene and safety, but the law also played into social norms in a conservative country where body art is still deeply frowned upon.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
“Conspicuous displays of wealth are generally frowned upon, most especially when worn by junior folks,” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
Aaron ignored his sisters as he frowned at the phone.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
In the troika of major figures in the Russian Revolution, Trotsky stood for ideas and Stalin represented power; their predecessor, Vladimir Lenin, had fused the two values as the frowning avatar of communist leadership.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Many consumers have bought both the smiling and frowning versions, to represent both the highs and lows expected in the coming year.
From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026
“On the news, when they’re doing the weather, they totally ignore us,” she said, frowning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
"He just kinda crept up on the guy and was looming over his shoulder and frowning at him while the guy was speaking."
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2024
He ate with shoulders slumped, frowning at his plate.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
