brownie
noun
(in folklore) a tiny, fanciful, good-natured brown elf who secretly helps at night with household chores.
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brownie
American
[brau-nee]
/ ˈbraʊ ni /
noun
-
brownies
plural
-
(in folklore) a tiny, fanciful, good-natured brown elf who secretly helps at night with household chores.
-
a small, chewy, cakelike cookie, usually made with chocolate and containing nuts.
-
Australian. a bread with currants, baked in a camp oven.
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Sometimes Brownie a member of the junior division of the Girl Scouts or the Girl Guides, being a girl in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade and usually between six and eight years old.
brownie
1
British
/ ˈbraʊnɪ /
noun
-
(in folklore) an elf said to do helpful work at night, esp household chores
-
a small square nutty chocolate cake
-
history a bread made with currants
Brownie
2
British
/ ˈbraʊnɪ /
noun
-
another name for Brownie Guide
-
(formerly) a popular make of simple box camera
Usage
What is a brownie? A brownie is a small, chewy chocolate cake-like dessert that often includes nuts, as in We loved Nana’s brownies so much that we begged her to make them for every party. In British folklore, a brownie is a tiny, brown elf that secretly assists with chores during the night, as in I once heard a fairy tale about a brownie who helped a cobbler clean his workshop. Example: The first thing I learned to bake was brownies, and I still love to bake them.
Synonym Usage
See fairy.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of brownie
First recorded in 1520–30; brown + -ie; in folkloric sense, originally Scots
Vocabulary lists containing brownie
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:
The other day, I grated two enormous zucchini into a bowl containing a quarter-can of pumpkin, brown sugar, cocoa powder and enough chopped bittersweet chocolate to make the whole operation look suspiciously like brownie batter.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
A new “protein boost” recipe for Conagra’s Duncan Hines chewy fudge brownie mix involves adding a cup of blended cottage cheese and a swirl of peanut butter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
At a trade show in February this year, Helene Godin pitched her bakery’s mini-Bundt cakes and brownie bites to some of the biggest supermarket chains in the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
I always love to have a decaf espresso with dessert, which is either a brownie sundae or banana pudding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
“That’s true form, perfect brother. The Great Peacemaker. You rack up brownie points with Mom and maintain the image of the perfect son.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Shake Shack opened its first California location in West Hollywood in March 2016, making a sizzling debut with several exclusive L.A. menu items such as the Roadside Double and Brownie Points.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
I joined a Brownie pack led by a woman I knew as Brown Owl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025
“He’s worked with great hitters. He’s helped them turn keys. He’s got unbelievable energy. We know Brownie from his time with us, and it was a no-brainer for us.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
BBC Sport's Liam Loftus talks to Marketa Vondrousova at Wimbledon 2023 about her love for body art and her two pets, Brownie the pug and Frankie the sphynx cat.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2023
The whole thing feels a little bit like a ceremony, like when I was in Girl Scouts and I went from Daisy to Brownie.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
“As someone who loves brownies but cannot bake, this appeals as another way to get that sweet smell in the house.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
Her boyfriend got it from BadAsh Bakes, the viral bakery based in Pasadena best known for its cinnamon rolls, cookies, brownies and layer cakes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Coaxing extra fudginess out of brownies with coffee, without sacrificing the requisite crinkle top.
From Salon ● May 12, 2026
Lunch with Lee featured a "Peacemaker's Dessert" of gold-encrusted brownies.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025
I’d bake brownies or other treats for us to snack on during the games.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
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.
