frown
Americanverb (used without object)
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frowns,
present (3rd person singular)
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frowned,
past participle, past
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frowning
present participle
verb (used with object)
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frowns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
frowned,
past participle, past
-
frowning
present participle
-
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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frowns
plural
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a frowning look; scowl.
-
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
-
to force, silence, etc, by a frowning look
noun
-
the act of frowning
-
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
-
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:
Tjjze warps the equivalent of the face into the equivalent of a frown as more data are revealed.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
“I remember it made me want to quit music,” he says, which draws a frown from his bandmate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 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
The Justices sound ready to frown on his firing of Lisa Cook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
It’s almost enough to distract me from the tiny frown I see creep up her face.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
It was a ludicrous line-crossing in a sport that typically frowns on bulletin board material—and then the Bears backed it up with a Lombardi Trophy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Dogs are exceptionally skilled at reading human emotions, from smiles and laughter to frowns and tears.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
At the food bank, Grahame Lucas said he worked to "turn frowns upside down".
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2025
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
Autumn frowns and says, “I don’t trust it. There hasn’t been one wholesome thing in this forest … and then suddenly there’s a beautiful forest with all this life? It doesn’t make sense.”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Papi said he doesn’t regret coming illegally, because he needed a job and sneaking in wasn’t frowned on at the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 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
She held up the half-eaten lollipop she was holding and frowned at it.
From "Mystery Map (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #3)" by Franklin W. Dixon
Balogun then looked over at a frowning Ream, who had just finished urging his teammates to be sure to stop and smell the flowers along this World Cup journey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
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
A frowning horse plush has become a viral bestseller ahead of Lunar New Year celebrations for the year of the horse in China.
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2026
She was frowning and her face was turning red!
From "Hopping Mad (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #4)" by Franklin W. Dixon
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
