furrow

[fur-oh, fuhr-oh]

See more synonyms for furrow on Thesaurus.com

noun

a narrow groove made in the ground, especially by a plow.
a narrow groovelike or trenchlike depression in any surface: the furrows of a wrinkled face.

verb (used with object)

to make a furrow or furrows in.
to make wrinkles in (the face): to furrow one's brow.

verb (used without object)

to become furrowed.

Origin of furrow

before 900; Middle English forwe, furgh, Old English furh; cognate with Old Frisian furch, Old High German fur(u)h (German Furche), Latin porca ridge between furrows

Related formsfur·row·er, nounfur·row·less, adjectivefur·row·like, adjectivefur·row·y, adjectiveun·fur·rowed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for furrowed

mountainous, rocky, hilly, jagged, craggy, rough, chiseled, sculpted, embossed, decorated, minted, crumpled, touch, follow, score, adjoin, smash, shove, rake

Examples from the Web for furrowed

Contemporary Examples of furrowed

Cameras panning to American fans showed dispirited faces, furrowed brows.
Bring It On! Team USA Progresses to Round 2
Tunku Varadarajan
June 26, 2014
In the passenger seat, there's a man, buttoned-down shirt and furrowed brow.
The Perils of Driving in India: One Man’s Quest for a Driver’s License
Dilip D’Souza
October 20, 2012
He remained silent for a second or two as he just furrowed his brows and studied the photo.
My Father’s War Pictures, and Mine
Colby Buzzell
April 20, 2012

Historical Examples of furrowed

He forgot his gray hair and furrowed face, just as he forgot the cold and snow.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
As he read, his hand shook, amazement dilated his eyes and furrowed his brow.
Bardelys the Magnificent
Rafael Sabatini
His forehead was furrowed with lines, his pallor was unnatural and unwholesome.
The Traitors
E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
The imaginative eye, the furrowed brow, were what he sought.
The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton, Part 1 (of 10)
Edith Wharton
He drew his brow into a pucker which furrowed the flesh between his brows.
Tess of the Storm Country
Grace Miller White

British Dictionary definitions for furrowed

furrow

noun

a long narrow trench made in the ground by a plough or a trench resembling this
any long deep groove, esp a deep wrinkle on the forehead

verb

to develop or cause to develop furrows or wrinkles
to make a furrow or furrows in (land)

Derived Formsfurrower, nounfurrowless, adjectivefurrow-like or furrowy, adjective

Word Origin for furrow

Old English furh; related to Old Frisian furch, Old Norse for, Old High German furuh furrow, Latin porca ridge between furrows

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for furrowed

furrow

Old English furh "furrow, trench," from Proto-Germanic *furkh- (cf. Old Frisian furch "furrow;" Middle Dutch vore, Dutch voor; German Furche "furrow;" Old Norse for "furrow, drainage ditch"), from PIE *perk- (cf. Latin porca "ridge between two furrows," Old Irish -rech, Welsh rhych "furrow"). "Some scholars connect this word with Latin porcus, Eng. FARROW, assigning to the common root the sense 'to root like a swine.' " [OED]

furrow

early 15c., "to plow," from furrow (n.). Meaning "to make wrinkles in one's face, brow, etc." is from 1590s. Related: Furrowed; furrowing.

furrowed in Medicine

furrow

[fûr′ō]

A rut, groove, or narrow depression.
A deep wrinkle in the skin, as on the forehead.