frown

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frown

(froun)

intr.v. frowned, frown·ing, frowns

1. To make a facial expression indicating thought or displeasure, as by wrinkling the brow and drawing down the corners of the mouth.

2. To regard something with disapproval or distaste: frowned on the use of so much salt in the food.

A facial expression indicating thought or displeasure; a scowl.

[Middle English frounen, from Old French froigner, to turn up one's nose, from frogne, grimace, of Gaulish origin; akin to Welsh ffroen, nostril, and Old Irish srón, nose.]

frown′er n.

frown′ing·ly adv.

Synonyms: frown, glower, lower¹, scowl
These words mean to make a face expressing displeasure:frowns when he is annoyed; glowered when she was interrupted; lowered at the noisy child; scowled at my suggestion.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

frown

(fraʊn)

1. (intr) to draw the brows together and wrinkle the forehead, esp in worry, anger, or concentration

2. (intr; foll by on or upon) to have a dislike (of); look disapprovingly (upon): the club frowned upon political activity by its members.

3. (tr) to express (worry, etc) by frowning

4. (often foll by: down) to force, silence, etc, by a frowning look

5. the act of frowning

6. a show of dislike or displeasure

[C14: from Old French froigner, of Celtic origin; compare Welsh ffroen nostril, Middle Breton froan]

ˈfrowner n

ˈfrowningly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

frown

(fraʊn)

v.i.

1. to contract the brow, as in displeasure or deep thought; scowl.

2. to look displeased.

3. to look disapprovingly (usu. fol. by on or upon): to frown on a scheme.

v.t.

4. to express by a frown.

5. to shame with a disapproving frown.

6. a frowning look; scowl.

7. any expression or show of disapproval.

[1350–1400; Middle English frounen < Old French froignier, derivative of froigne surly expression]

frown′er, n.

frown′ing•ly, adv.

frown

Past participle: frowned
Gerund: frowning

Imperative
frown
frown

Present
I frown
you frown
he/she/it frowns
we frown
you frown
they frown

Preterite
I frowned
you frowned
he/she/it frowned
we frowned
you frowned
they frowned

Present Continuous
I am frowning
you are frowning
he/she/it is frowning
we are frowning
you are frowning
they are frowning

Present Perfect
I have frowned
you have frowned
he/she/it has frowned
we have frowned
you have frowned
they have frowned

Past Continuous
I was frowning
you were frowning
he/she/it was frowning
we were frowning
you were frowning
they were frowning

Past Perfect
I had frowned
you had frowned
he/she/it had frowned
we had frowned
you had frowned
they had frowned

Future
I will frown
you will frown
he/she/it will frown
we will frown
you will frown
they will frown

Future Perfect
I will have frowned
you will have frowned
he/she/it will have frowned
we will have frowned
you will have frowned
they will have frowned

Future Continuous
I will be frowning
you will be frowning
he/she/it will be frowning
we will be frowning
you will be frowning
they will be frowning

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been frowning
you have been frowning
he/she/it has been frowning
we have been frowning
you have been frowning
they have been frowning

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been frowning
you will have been frowning
he/she/it will have been frowning
we will have been frowning
you will have been frowning
they will have been frowning

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been frowning
you had been frowning
he/she/it had been frowning
we had been frowning
you had been frowning
they had been frowning

Conditional
I would frown
you would frown
he/she/it would frown
we would frown
you would frown
they would frown

Past Conditional
I would have frowned
you would have frowned
he/she/it would have frowned
we would have frowned
you would have frowned
they would have frowned

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	frown - a facial expression of dislike or displeasure scowl facial expression, facial gesture - a gesture executed with the facial muscles
Verb	1.	frown - look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval glower, lour, lower scowl - frown with displeasure grimace, make a face, pull a face - contort the face to indicate a certain mental or emotional state; "He grimaced when he saw the amount of homework he had to do"

frown

verb

1. glare, scowl, glower, make a face, look daggers, knit your brows, give a dirty look, lour or lower He frowned at her anxiously.

noun

1. scowl, glare, glower, dirty look a deep frown on the boy's face

frown on or upon something disapprove of, dislike, discourage, take a dim view of, look askance at, discountenance, view with disfavour, not take kindly to, show disapproval or displeasure This practice is frowned upon as being wasteful.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

frown

verb

To wrinkle one's brow, as in thought, puzzlement, or displeasure:

glower, lower, scowl.

Idiom: look black.

phrasal verb
frown on or upon

To have or express an unfavorable opinion of:

deprecate, disapprove, discountenance, disesteem, disfavor, object.

Idioms: hold no brief for, not go for, take a dim view of, take exception to.

noun

The act of wrinkling the brow, as in thought, puzzlement, or displeasure:

black look, glower, lower, scowl.

Translations

Spanish / Español

Select a language:

ceño fruncir el ceño zuño

frown

[fraʊn]

A. N → ceño m
he said with a frown → dijo frunciendo el ceño or entrecejo

B. VI → fruncir el ceño, fruncir el entrecejo
to frown at → mirar con el ceño fruncido

frown on frown upon VI + PREP (fig) → desaprobar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

frown

(fraun) verb

to make the forehead wrinkle and the eyebrows move down (as a sign of worry, disapproval, deep thought etc). He frowned at her bad behaviour.fruncir el ceño

noun

such a movement of the forehead and eyebrows. a frown of disapproval.ceño

frown on/upon

to disapprove of (something). My family frowns (up) on smoking and drinking.desaprobar

frown

→ fruncir el ceño

frown

vi fruncir el ceño

References in classic literature ?

Dissatisfied with the pacific aspect of a face which had no more than the faintest hint of flaxen eyebrow, together with a pair of amiable blue-gray eyes and round pink cheeks that refused to look formidable, let him frown as he would before the looking-glass (Philip had once told him of a man who had a horseshoe frown, and Tom had tried with all his frowning might to make a horseshoe on his forehead), he had had recourse to that unfailing source of the terrible, burnt cork, and had made himself a pair of black eyebrows that met in a satisfactory manner over his nose, and were matched by a less carefully adjusted blackness about the chin.

View in context

"And what are you going to do with the nice new frown?" the Pugilist asked.

View in context

With a frown Miss Polly folded the letter and tucked it into its envelope.

She knew Miss Polly now as a stern, severe-faced woman who frowned if a knife clattered to the floor, or if a door banged--but who never thought to smile even when knives and doors were still.

View in context

Never was there a blacker or a fiercer frown than Hester now encountered.

All the world had frowned on her -- for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman -- and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.

View in context

For the night - tho' clear - shall frown - And the stars shall look not down, From their high thrones in the Heaven, With light like Hope to mortals given - But their red orbs, without beam, To thy weariness shall seem As a burning and a fever Which would cling to thee for ever :

View in context

Her scowl,--as the world, or such part of it as sometimes caught a transitory glimpse of her at the window, wickedly persisted in calling it,--her scowl had done Miss Hepzibah a very ill office, in establishing her character as an ill-tempered old maid; nor does it appear improbable that, by often gazing at herself in a dim looking-glass, and perpetually encountering her own frown with its ghostly sphere, she had been led to interpret the expression almost as unjustly as the world did.

And, without all the deeper trust in a comprehensive sympathy above us, we might hence be led to suspect the insult of a sneer, as well as an immitigable frown, on the iron countenance of fate.

View in context

Adam was looking at Hetty, and saw the frown, and pout, and the dark eyes seeming to grow larger with pettish half-gathered tears.

View in context

The last of the Horse Guards, a huge pockmarked fellow, frowned angrily on seeing Rostov before him, with whom he would inevitably collide.

View in context

The Duke's inner circle has "stopped inviting her to dinner" over the "frowned upon" PDAs at the dinner table.