fawn

play

verb \ ˈfȯn , ˈfän \

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

noun

—

fawningly

play \ˈfȯ-niŋ-lē, ˈfä-\ adverb

See fawn defined for English-language learners

See fawn defined for kids

fawn was our Word of the Day on 06/16/2013. Hear the podcast!

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

All that rain has been like spreading Miracle-Gro on the state’s deer habitat, and vibrant vegetation means more does and fawns survive the often challenging days of summer.

— todd masson, NOLA.com, "Promising signs for Louisiana's 2017 deer season," 30 Aug. 2017
Outlets such as the Washington Post and CNN published fawning apologetics and romanticized profiles of the far left’s vigilante thugs.

— david french, National Review, "Antifa Just Showed Its True Colors. Again.," 28 Aug. 2017
The only time the Bengals get fawned over nationally is when a player or two screws up.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Outsiders don’t get these Cincinnati Bengals," 26 Aug. 2017
And why does Trump think the man who tried — and arguably succeeded — in hijacking America’s presidential election deserves the time of day, let alone three-plus hours of his rapt, fawning attention?

— will bunch, Philly.com, "Trump's secret Putin pow-wow: What could go wrong?," 18 July 2017
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...

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "This Is How Much You Will Spend on Beauty Products in Your Lifetime," 29 June 2017
Fallon’s fawning interviews and fun and games haven’t aged particularly well and, contrasted with his competition, his good-time approach feels irrelevant.

— glenn whipp, latimes.com, "It'll be hard to ignore Trump-era politics in these Emmy races," 15 June 2017
Today, Fox News, talk radio, Breitbart and others fawn over Trump, Vice President Pence and the rest of the administration.

— douglas perry, OregonLive.com, "GOP leaders fear backlash from standing up to Donald Trump, says conservative former congressman: Commentary," 15 June 2017
While there are bosses who delight in fawning employees, most do not.

— judith martin, The Mercury News, "Miss Manners: When will I stop being divorced and start being single?," 13 June 2017

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

fawn Synonyms

Synonyms

apple-polish, bootlick, fuss, kowtow, suck (up), toady, truckle, curry favor, kiss up to

Related Words

drool, gush, slaver, slobber; endear, ingratiate; court, woo; adulate, idolize, worship; blandish, cajole, coax, flatter, overpraise, soft-soap; cower, cringe, grovel; abase, debase, demean; defer, submit, yield

Near Antonyms

despise, disdain, scorn; gibe (or jibe), jeer, scoff; brave, challenge, defy

Synonym Discussion of fawn

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

fawn

noun

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

—

fawny

play \ˈfȯ-nē, ˈfä-\ adjective

See fawn defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of fawn from the Web

During an outage in the Helena, Mont., area about six years ago, a deer fawn was found in a power line after an outage, Larcombe said.

— karl puckett, USA TODAY, "Hawk with snake in claws likely sparked Montana fire," 24 Aug. 2017
A photo zipping around the internet of a fawn run down by a tractor at Stony Creek Metropark triggered a rash of protest comments on Facebook and charges of wildlife abuse by animal-welfare advocates.

— john wisely, Detroit Free Press, "Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority director resigns amid internal investigation," 15 Aug. 2017
The close parallel between the fawn’s becoming a stag and a child’s becoming an adult gives the book its moral overtone.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "If You Think ‘Bambi’ Seems Too Mature For Kids, You’re Not Wrong," 15 Aug. 2017
A golden retriever named Storm saved a fawn from drowning, and video of the rescue has gone viral.

— david caraccio, sacbee, "Amazing video shows dog rescuing drowning fawn," 18 July 2017
The fawn was transported to the Star Foundation, a wildlife sanctuary and rehabilitation center, where it is currently being treated for subcutaneous emphysema, a condition in which air gets trapped under the skin.

— lindsey bever, chicagotribune.com, "Watch a heroic golden retriever save a baby deer from drowning," 18 July 2017
Meanwhile, Kutznig carried the fawn, who was covered in ticks and suffering from an eye injury, back to their van.

— saryn chorney, PEOPLE.com, "WATCH: Dog Rescues Baby Deer in Real-Life Lassie Meets Bambi Story," 18 July 2017
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.

— christina hall, Detroit Free Press, "Huron-Clinton Metroparks director placed on paid leave during internal investigation," 23 June 2017
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.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "Deer hit by car gives birth, then dies. You won’t believe what NC trooper did next," 22 June 2017

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

FAWN Defined for English Language Learners

fawn

play

verb

Definition of fawn for English Language Learners

: to try to get the approval of an important or powerful person by giving that person praise, special attention, etc.

fawn

noun

Definition of fawn for English Language Learners

: a young deer; especially : a deer that is less than a year old
: a light brown color

FAWN Defined for Kids

fawn

play

noun \ ˈfȯn \

Definition of fawn for Students

1 :a young deer

2 :a light grayish brown

fawn

verb

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

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up fawn? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

fawn

Definition of fawn

fawner

fawningly

From the M-W Editors

fawn was our Word of the Day on 06/16/2013. Hear the podcast!

Examples of fawn in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fawn from the Web

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of fawn

fawn Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of fawn

fawn

Definition of fawn

fawny

Recent Examples of fawn from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fawn

Other Mammals Terms

FAWN Defined for English Language Learners

fawn

Definition of fawn for English Language Learners

fawn

Definition of fawn for English Language Learners

FAWN Defined for Kids

fawn

Definition of fawn for Students

fawn

Definition of fawn for Students

Learn More about fawn

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

Let's Talk 'Tea'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066