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Language lovers, rejoice! If you’re the sort of person who fawns over etymology (one of the best sorts of people, in our opinion), then you’ll be glad to know the story of fawn: it comes ultimately from the Old English adjective fægen or fagan, meaning “glad,” by way of Old English fagnian, meaning “to rejoice.” Hooray! But we’re not finished yet, my dear. Note that this fawn is not, despite appearances, related to the noun fawn that refers to a young deer. For that we can thank the Latin noun fetus, meaning “offspring.”
Synonyms
Examples of fawn in a Sentence
Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
These audiences include a wide variety of people that players need to figure out: traditional Crush House fans, landscape lovers, voyeurs who will fawn over a toilet, film students who want to see a good shot.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024
The sometimes frenzied, sometimes fawning, always avant-garde campaign of Donald Trump.
—Susan Howson, Quartz, 11 Feb. 2024
In a fawning interview with Tucker Carlson last summer, Orban said Trump’s return was the only way to end the war in Ukraine and accused Washington of interfering in Hungary’s electoral process.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024
Topline Nvidia became the third American company in history to score a $2 trillion valuation, riding its post-earnings euphoria to the remarkable feat as investors fawn over the artificial intelligence chip designer’s growth story.
—Derek Saul, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
In a Chiefs onesie over his diaper, Patrick was passed between fawning fans for photos.
—The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 2024
Starting at the turn of the previous century, Heilbrunn showcases the myriad ways in which influential conservatives, including many prominent Republicans, fawned over strongmen like the German kaiser and various Cold War-era juntas.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
So far, those plans don’t appear to include going after journalists who aren’t sufficiently fawning, or using the Department of Justice to go after political enemies.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024
Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 13 Mar. 2024
The actor John Maria Gutierrez, even when disguised as a white businessman in a full-face mask, turns precipitate falls into rolls and handstands; the elegant Marcus McGregor, who danced with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and Feld Ballet, demonstrates the cautious poise of a fawn.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2024
The does and fawns would roam through in one direction every morning, Williams said, and back the other direction in the evening.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 27 Dec. 2023
Standing at the forest line, like a mirage, were two fawns.
—Kate Brody, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2024
The East Coast socialites Capote fawns over are lacquered gorgons (for whom the show occasionally sheds crocodile tears, as in the case of Paley’s cancer diagnosis); the Hollywood crowd that takes him in is tasteless lightweights.
—Mike Hale, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024
For example, fawns and calves are able to walk within hours of birth because the behavior is hardwired.
—Roberta McLain, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2023
The buck was born in the area, and one of Orwig’s neighbors had photos of it as a fawn with its sibling.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 3 Jan. 2024
In the spring, when the new fawns arrive, there’s always the chance that Prince will have produced a successor.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 27 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fawn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Fawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fawn. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fawn
2 of 2 nounVerb
Old English fagnian "to rejoice," from fægen "glad, fain"
Noun
early French feen, foon "young of an animal," derived from Latin fetus "offspring"
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