pout

¹ American  

[pout] / paʊt /

verb (used without object)

1. to thrust out the lips, especially in displeasure or sullenness.

2. to look or be sullen; sulk; mope.

   Synonyms:

   scowl, glower, brood

3. to swell out or protrude, as lips.

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verb (used with object)

1. to protrude (the lips).

2. to utter with a pout.

noun

1. the act of pouting; a protrusion of the lips.

2. a fit of sullenness.

   to be in a pout.

pout ² American  

[pout] / paʊt /

noun

plural

pout,

plural

pouts

1. horned pout.

2. ocean pout.

3. a northern marine food fish, Trisopterus luscus.

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pout ¹ British  

/ paʊt /

verb

1. to thrust out (the lips), as when sullen, or (of the lips) to be thrust out

2. (intr) to swell out; protrude

3. (tr) to utter with a pout

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noun

1. (sometimes the pouts) a fit of sullenness

2. the act or state of pouting

pout ² British  

/ paʊt /

noun

1. short for horned pout eelpout

2. any of various gadoid food fishes, esp the bib (also called whiting pout )

3. any of certain other stout-bodied fishes

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Usage

What does pout mean? To pout is to act in a gloomy and irritated way; to mope or sulk. Children sometimes pout when they don’t get their way, often by sitting with their arms crossed and a specific look on their face: a kind of frown with the lips pushed out (sometimes just the bottom lip). This expression is also called a pout. The term is typically used in the context of young children, but it can be applied to adults in some situations. Example: My toddler pouts when he doesn’t get his way, but I guess it’s better than throwing a tantrum.

Other Word Forms

• poutful
  adjective
• poutingly
  adverb
• pouty
  adjective
• unpouting
  adjective
• unpoutingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of pout¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pouten; probably from Old Norse; compare Swedish dialect puta “to be inflated,” Norwegian (noun) “pute ”

Origin of pout²

First recorded before 1000; Old English -pūta, in ǣlepūta “eelpout” (not recorded in Middle English ); akin to Low German pūtāl and aalputte “eelpout,” Dutch puit “frog”

Explanation

When something doesn’t go your way and you get annoyed about it, that’s a pout. And when you let the world know about it by thrusting out your lower lip, you are pouting. Get over it. When you pout, you’re expressing annoyance or displeasure. It’s a sulky kind of gesture, one that involves a facial expression more than words — in fact, a pout is often accompanied by a moody silence. The verb form of pout describes the action, and the noun form describes the facial expression. Maybe it's not a coincidence that a pout is also a type of fish. Pouting faces are a bit fish-like in their expressions.

Example Sentences

John Pout, 61, said he and his family are planning to host a barbecue early on at his son and daughter-in-law's home yards from the parade route before heading to the city centre.

From BBC • May 24, 2025

Rebecca Pout, manager of Cardiff's Nook restaurant, said treating staff well was key to stability in the team.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2021

At Beautycon, this revamp drew me in, and I found a few lovable products, like the Melting Pout Matte Liquid Lipstick.

From New York Times • Apr. 25, 2018

Diplomatic Pout Sir: The government of Ghana takes note of an article published in your issue of May 12, which, among other things, refers to shipments of Soviet arms to Ghana.

From Time Magazine Archive

We went for two days to "Pout," Casimir Périer's fine place in the département de l'Aube, where we had capital shooting.

From My First Years as a Frenchwoman, 1876-1879 by Waddington, Mary Alsop King

Related Words

• mope
• sulk