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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
nounPeople Are Reading
fawn was our Word of the Day on 06/16/2013. Hear the podcast!
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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
Recent Examples of fawn from the Web
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Trying out the latest cleansers, primers and serums and fawning over the coolest new highlighters, lip powders, and liner tricks is a full time calling...
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Fallon’s fawning interviews and fun and games haven’t aged particularly well and, contrasted with his competition, his good-time approach feels irrelevant.
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Today, Fox News, talk radio, Breitbart and others fawn over Trump, Vice President Pence and the rest of the administration.
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While there are bosses who delight in fawning employees, most do not.
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Teplitzky betrays his sympathy for Churchill, filming Cox with seemingly endless, fawning slow-motion shots, burnished by evocative shadows.
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Several local media members have fawned over the Cubs' being able to draft and develop young players with mega talent and high character.
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Philadelphians -- their sports fans at least -- don't fawn over famous people.
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Teplitzky betrays his sympathy for Churchill, filming Cox with seemingly endless, fawning slow-motion shots, burnished by evocative shadows.
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.
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
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
Recent Examples of fawn from the Web
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Earlier this month, a photo went around the Internet of a fawn run down by a tractor at Stony Creek Metropark, triggering protest comments on Facebook and charges of wildlife abuse by animal welfare advocates.
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A trooper with the North Carolina Highway Patrol is winning hearts on social media for refusing to abandon a fawn that was born seconds after its mother was hit by a car in Jackson County.
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The next day, the little fawn slipped between fence rails and was back for another swim.
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Recently research has shown that coyotes do play a role in the decrease of the doe/fawn ratio.
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The wildlife agency followed up their video with a similar note on baby deer — like rabbits, fawns are left alone for most of the day and shouldn't be touched or disrupted.
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Noe took the fawn to a nearby wooded area and released it in hopes it could be reunited with its mother.
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The officer moved the fawn off the roadway to a safe location where the mother could locate it.
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The assuaging grace of this trance is broken only upon coming to a clearing where name recognition returns and the startled fawn bounds away in fright, leaving Alice bereft and forlorn.
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.
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
FAWN Defined for English Language Learners
fawn
playDefinition 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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