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
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frowning
present participle
-
to express by a frown.
to frown one's displeasure.
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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.
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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
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to force, silence, etc, by a frowning look
noun
-
the act of frowning
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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
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had frownedperfect
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was frowningprogressive
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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:
James Butts, the mayor of Inglewood, has said he would frown upon a ballpark there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 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
Even if you want to cry when you walk in the door, turn that frown upside down and greet your host with a warm hug and a smile.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 17, 2026
In other tests, Google Photos’ AI editor turned my son’s frown into a smile and removed my husband’s sunglasses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025
Although her face remained tight, her frown vanished.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Dogs are exceptionally skilled at reading human emotions, from smiles and laughter to frowns and tears.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
On a recent day off from making lattes and Frappuccinos, Starbucks barista Bridget Baron came into work to do something the company usually frowns upon: posting an on-the-job TikTok.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025
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
I looked up to see her face, and Grandma dug a smile from beneath her layers of frowns and sadness.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
Expressing our rage at all that, however, is still frowned upon.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
The women were joined by male university students sporting tattoos and T-shirts, Western attire frowned upon by the regime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Henderson said he only realized the solicitation he’d been asked to do might be frowned upon after Orchid told him as much at their meal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
In the past, administrators "frowned upon trade schools, they wanted to steer everybody to go to college."
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Mrs. Clarke overheard this and frowned but said nothing.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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
She grinned as she explained that some sculptures of famed Buddhist monk Ji Gong even showed him smiling on one side of his face and frowning on the other.
From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 2026
Often Gail looks like she’s frowning, but it’s just that she has poor vision and is straining to see through her prescription lenses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2025
"He just kinda crept up on the guy and was looming over his shoulder and frowning at him while the guy was speaking."
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2024
Auntie stopped stitching long enough to look up at me, frowning.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
