fawn

verb

Save Word

\ ˈfȯn

, ˈfän \

fawned; fawning; fawns

Definition of fawn

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to court favor by a cringing or flattering manner courtiers fawning on the king

2 : to show affection —used especially of a dog The dog was fawning on its master.

fawn

noun

Definition of fawn (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a young deer especially : one still unweaned or retaining a distinctive baby coat

2 : kid sense 2

3 : a light grayish brown

Other Words from fawn Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about fawn

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for fawn

Verb

fawn, toady, truckle, cringe, cower mean to behave abjectly before a superior. fawn implies seeking favor by servile flattery or exaggerated attention. waiters fawning over a celebrity toady suggests the attempt to ingratiate oneself by an abjectly menial or subservient attitude. toadying to his boss truckle implies the subordination of oneself and one's desires or judgment to those of a superior. truckling to a powerful lobbyist cringe suggests a bowing or shrinking in fear or servility. a cringing sycophant cower suggests a display of abject fear in the company of threatening or domineering people. cowering before a bully

Did You Know?

Verb

Some people will be glad to learn the origins of "fawn"-and there's a hint about the word's etymology in that declaration. Middle English speakers adapted an Old English word meaning "to rejoice" to create the verb "faunen," which shifted in spelling over time to become "fawn." That Old English word, in turn, derives from fagan, meaning "glad." "Fagan" is also an ancestor of the English adjective "fain," whose earliest (now obsolete) meaning is "happy" or "pleased." If we follow the etymological path of "fawn" even further back, we arrive at an ancient word that also provided Old German and Old Norse with words for "happy."

Examples of fawn in a Sentence

Verb a sports star surrounded by fawning fans a student who could not wait to fawn over the new teacher

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Your grand gesture of love may be slightly thwarted, but keeping your cool in a frustrating situation will only make your partner (or prospective partner) fawn over you even more. — Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, "What Venus In Capricorn Means For Your Love Life," 6 Jan. 2021 Your grand gesture of love may be slightly thwarted, but keeping your cool in a frustrating situation will only make your partner (or prospective partner) fawn over you even more. — Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, "What Venus In Capricorn Means For Your Love Life," 6 Jan. 2021 Your grand gesture of love may be slightly thwarted, but keeping your cool in a frustrating situation will only make your partner (or prospective partner) fawn over you even more. — Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, "What Venus In Capricorn Means For Your Love Life," 6 Jan. 2021 Your grand gesture of love may be slightly thwarted, but keeping your cool in a frustrating situation will only make your partner (or prospective partner) fawn over you even more. — Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, "What Venus In Capricorn Means For Your Love Life," 5 Jan. 2021 Cain expects there will be an uptick of 1½- to 3½-year-old bucks this year, but fewer in the 4½ to 5½ age classes because of poor fawn production in 2016 and 2017. — Matt Williams, ExpressNews.com, "Texas deer season preview: Quality over quantity," 5 Nov. 2020 While not problematic yet, if the dry conditions persist and worsen, fawn weights and adult male antler sizes may be a bit lower than average in those areas this fall. — Brian Lovett, Outdoor Life, "The 2020 Deer Hunting Season Forecast," 12 Aug. 2020 Cain expects there will be an uptick of 11/2 to 31/2-year-old bucks this year, but fewer in the 41/2 to 51/2age classes due to poor fawn production in 2016 and 2017. — Matt Williams, Dallas News, "Deer season in Texas looks like it’s going to be a good one," 31 Oct. 2020 Parliament will again be full of politicians who fawn over the president. — The Economist, "Another sham election highlights Egypt’s problems," 22 Oct. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Knapp tried a fawn call and, to his surprise, a cluster of deer emerged from the little patch of timber to their left and walked right to the blind. — Outdoor Life, "After Being Barred from the Family Deer Camp, Beginner’s Luck with a 215-Inch Iowa Buck," 5 Jan. 2021 Hunters may notice a few additional bucks in the 7½- to 8½-year-old classes resulting from exceptional fawn recruitment in 2012 and 2013. — Matt Williams, ExpressNews.com, "Texas deer season preview: Quality over quantity," 5 Nov. 2020 Hunters may notice a few additional bucks in the 71/2 to 8 1/2-year-old classes resulting from exceptional fawn recruitment in 2012 and 2013. — Matt Williams, Dallas News, "Deer season in Texas looks like it’s going to be a good one," 31 Oct. 2020 South Texas South Texas’ deer herd of about 438,000 animals is stable, Cain said, but could increase slightly thanks to a bumper fawn crop this season. — Matt Williams, ExpressNews.com, "Texas deer season preview: Quality over quantity," 5 Nov. 2020 Cain said South Texas' deer herd of about 438,000 animals is stable but could increase slightly thanks to a bumper fawn crop this season. — Matt Williams, Dallas News, "Deer season in Texas looks like it’s going to be a good one," 31 Oct. 2020 Though population trends are stable, Cain said things could change in the western plains due to persistent dry conditions that may have hurt fawn production this year. — Matt Williams, ExpressNews.com, "Texas deer season preview: Quality over quantity," 5 Nov. 2020 Hunters can expect to see a cohort of bucks in the 41/2 to 71/2-year-old age classes this year as a result of strong fawn production in previous years. — Matt Williams, Dallas News, "Deer season in Texas looks like it’s going to be a good one," 31 Oct. 2020 Over the years, Gyselman has witnessed a black bear digging for bugs, watched an otter make a dash into the Pacific and seen a mama black tail deer and her fawn walking through the fog at Rialto Beach. — Sarah Sekula, USA TODAY, "Heading to Seattle? Here's how to fit in day trips to national parks like Mount Rainier," 29 Sep. 2020

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

History and Etymology for fawn

Verb

Middle English faunen, from Old English fagnian to rejoice, from fægen, fagan glad — more at fain entry 1

Noun

Middle English foun, from Anglo-French feun, foon young of an animal, from Vulgar Latin *feton-, feto, from Latin fetus offspring — more at fetus

Keep scrolling for more