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
[brou-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:
“China gets a lot of goodwill brownie points throughout the region with what they’re doing with Cuba,” said Jorge Piñón, who studies Cuban energy at the University of Texas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 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
Suddenly, it’s a nut dessert with a brownie supporting role.
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 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
I joined a Brownie pack led by a woman I knew as Brown Owl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025
Two commercial bakers supply the millions of boxes sold every Girl Scout cookie season: ABC Bakers, headquartered in Richmond, Va., and Little Brownie Bakers, owned by Ferrero U.S.A. and headquartered in Louisville, Ky.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 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
The medics who treated the wounded cow in Oleksandro-Shultyne named her Buryonka, or Brownie.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2023
He meant this literally, and Brownie knew it.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
Packed with cookies, brownies, old-school sprinkle cakes or lemon drizzle, they are usually found in front gardens, on driveways or by the roadside.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
“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
Black bean brownies fall into the category of things that sound like a joke until they aren’t.
From Salon ● May 5, 2026
I wanted to tell her that baking a whole roomful of brownies wouldn’t make up for what they’d done.
From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy
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.
