Library / English Dictionary

FROWN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A facial expression of dislike or displeasure

Synonyms:

frown; scowl

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("frown" is a kind of...):

facial expression; facial gesture (a gesture executed with the facial muscles)

Derivation:

frown (look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval

Synonyms:

frown; glower; lour; lower

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "frown" is one way to...):

grimace; make a face; pull a face (contort the face to indicate a certain mental or emotional state)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "frown"):

scowl (frown with displeasure)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

frown (a facial expression of dislike or displeasure)

Credits

 Context examples: 

And Laurie folded his hands together with such and imploring gesture, as he spoke in his irresistibly persuasive tone, that it was impossible to frown upon him in spite of his scandalous behavior.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Lord St. Simon had by no means relaxed his rigid attitude, but had listened with a frowning brow and a compressed lip to this long narrative.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Include frowning, blinking, grimacing of upper face.

(AIMS - Muscles of Facial Expression, NCI Thesaurus)

A pain measurement tool that uses drawn representations of cartoon faces (of the "smiley face" variety) that rage from frowning and grimacing to smiling heartily.

(Facial Affective Scale, NCI Thesaurus)

His face was lighted up with interest in the youthful struggles of Mr. Butler; but there was a frown upon his face as well.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

The two statesmen exchanged a quick glance and the Premier’s shaggy eyebrows gathered in a frown.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I had brought the customary liquor glasses, but Wolf Larsen frowned, shook his head, and signalled with his hands for me to bring the tumblers.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

I was exceedingly surprised on receiving so rude an answer from a stranger, and I was also disconcerted on perceiving the frowning and angry countenances of his companions.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

“This was so thoughtful and kind!” and would he only have smiled upon her, and called her “my dear Fanny,” while he said it, every former frown or cold address might have been forgotten.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

O, I know he’s a good fellow—you needn’t frown—an excellent fellow, and I always mean to see more of him; but a hide-bound pedant for all that; an ignorant, blatant pedant.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)