frown

1 of 2

verb

ˈfrau̇n

frowned; frowning; frowns

intransitive verb

: to contract the brow in displeasure or concentration

frowned in anger

: to give evidence of displeasure or disapproval by or as if by facial expression

critics frown on the idea

transitive verb

: to show displeasure with or disapproval of especially by facial expression

I will be neither frowned nor ridiculed into error

Noah Webster

frowner noun

frowningly

ˈfrau̇-niŋ-lē

adverb

frown

2 of 2

noun

: an expression of displeasure

: a wrinkling of the brow in displeasure or concentration

frowny

ˈfrau̇-nē

adjective informal

a frowny face

Example Sentences

Verb She was frowning when she entered the room, so I knew that she was annoyed about something. the boss just stood there and frowned at his assistant who, once again, was in trouble Noun it was clear from the frown on the CEO's face that sales were headed in the wrong direction

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Sam Bankman-Fried sold $300 million in shares prior to FTX's collapse despite venture industry norms that frown on founders cashing out before investors.

Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2022 Boating experts also frown on wearing camouflage-style life jackets, which are popular with waterfowl hunters.

D'arcy Egan, cleveland, 22 Sep. 2022 Baseball traditionalists may frown, but for the younger set, the Bananas, wildly popular on platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, have strong appeal.

Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 5 Oct. 2022 The researchers administered an anxiety and depression questionnaire to 25 females, half of whom had received frown-inhibiting Botox injections.

Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 10 Aug. 2022 Good to know: Twinkie purists may frown, but that’s OK.

Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, 22 Sep. 2022 Band instructors frown upon them breaking out in the wild; and often, after a long day or night of competition or performing their school’s halftime show, many students would rather just head home or out with their friends.

Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 16 Sep. 2022 The answer is no, the person can really frown like with their eyebrows in their dream.

Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 24 Aug. 2022 Uber and other ride-sharing apps frown upon eating while riding.

Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 16 July 2022

Noun

At that point, there wasn’t anything that could make the Bengals rookie cornerback frown.

Andrew Gillis, cleveland, 23 Oct. 2022 But usually, the only outward sign is a frown on my face, and maybe my grumpy mood.

Ben Mattlin, CNN, 16 Oct. 2022 Goldberg consulted her notes with a frown as Sara Haines laughed into her hands.

Amanda Taylor, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2022 Walker is one of those teammates who’s watched Brissett be the person same every day, in good times and bad, except for that initial frown.

Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland, 7 Sep. 2022 Your boss wears a frown and uses a certain tone of voice.

Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 25 Aug. 2022 Known for her natural onscreen charisma (and that signature frown), Pugh is one of the best actresses working today.

Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 11 Aug. 2022 One scene later, Quiñonez turned his proverbial frown upside down and recommitted himself to his life in the bush.

Fred Dreier, Outside Online, 6 July 2022 Artists analyzed the footage and identified the actor’s expressions — a smile, a frown, a scream, etc. — to note how the dots moved in those instances, which Inversin compared to establishing key frames for each character.

Alyse Stanley, Washington Post, 28 June 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'frown.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.