Definition of fawn
intransitive verb
1 : to show affection —used especially of a dog The dog was fawning on its master.
2 : to court favor by a cringing or flattering manner courtiers fawning on the king
fawner
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Examples of fawn in a sentence
a sports star surrounded by fawning fans
a student who could not wait to fawn over the new teacher
Did You Know?
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."
Origin and Etymology of fawn
Middle English faunen, from Old English fagnian to rejoice, from fægen, fagan glad — more at fain
First Known Use: 13th century
Synonym Discussion of fawn
fawn
Definition of fawn
1 : a young deer; especially : one still unweaned or retaining a distinctive baby coat
2 : kid 2
3 : a light grayish brown
Origin and Etymology of fawn
Middle English foun, from Anglo-French feun, foon young of an animal, from Vulgar Latin *feton-, feto, from Latin fetus offspring — more at fetus
First Known Use: 14th century
FAWN Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of fawn for English Language Learners
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: to try to get the approval of an important or powerful person by giving that person praise, special attention, etc.
fawn
Definition of fawn for English Language Learners
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: a young deer; especially : a deer that is less than a year old
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: a light brown color
FAWN Defined for Kids
Definition of fawn for Students
fawned
;fawning
1 : to show affection —used especially of a dog
2 : to try to win favor by acting as if someone is superior Fans fawned over the actor.
Learn More about fawn
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fawn Spanish Central: Translation of fawn Nglish: Translation of fawn for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fawn for Arabic speakers
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