frown
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to express by a frown.
to frown one's displeasure.
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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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are frowningprogressive
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am 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
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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.
“Smiling is the true answer. Smiling, you don’t get the wrinkles. Frown, you get a wrinkle,” says Warwick.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 14, 2021
Rather than exploring expressions beyond Big Happy Smile and Sad Little Frown, more attention is paid to the plastic-looking toys, er, cars and trucks.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 17, 2021
Frown lines are a lot more distracting when they’re 10 feet long.
From Washington Post • Mar. 18, 2016
But chief O Cam! and Isis! dread her Frown, f Chain’d to the Footstool of the Goddess’ Throne.
From Two Poems Against Pope One Epistle to Mr. A. Pope and the Blatant Beast by Guerinot, J. V. (Joseph V.)
I. Roar, raging torrent! and thou, mighty river, Pour thy white foam on the valley below; Frown, ye dark mountains! and shadow for ever The deep rocky bed where the wild rapids flow.
From The Culprit Fay and Other Poems by Drake, Joseph Rodman
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.
