frown on/upon
phrasal verb
frowned on/upon; frowning on/upon; frowns on/upon
: to disapprove of (something)
The company frowns on dating among employees.
Public expressions of affection are frowned upon in many cultures.
Examples of frown on/upon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When the Supreme Court purported to discover it as protection against civil lawsuits in Nixon v. Fitzgerald (1982), that took some creative lawyering of the kind the Supreme Court thankfully came to frown on in the Scalia era.
—
Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 20 Jan. 2024
Just as designers frown upon all square furniture in a room, all round is just as big a faux pas.
—Charlotte Observer, 1 Feb. 2024
Time for a ‘come-to-Jesus meeting’ While many areas of society still frown on drug use, mind-altering substances have become more commonplace in high-flying Silicon Valley and the startup sector.
—Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2024
From the looks of the frown on Dua’s face, it was also had a wildly unimpressive taste.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 12 Dec. 2023
Many people actually frown upon the idea of, say, wearing a red skirt and echoing that shade perfectly on your lips.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 7 Nov. 2023
Sitting beside him with a frown on his face was his son, Samir, a member of Arab al-Aramshe’s local council.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
Since their landlord would frown on an unmarried man living with two single women, the group pretended that Jack was gay.
—Alex Traub, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2023
In the late 1940s, when the emerging post–World War II global order started to frown upon such rank imperialism, the U.S. allowed Puerto Ricans to elect our own governor and start drafting a Constitution.
—Alberto C. Medina, The New Republic, 24 July 2023
Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 20 Jan. 2024
Just as designers frown upon all square furniture in a room, all round is just as big a faux pas.
—Charlotte Observer, 1 Feb. 2024
Time for a ‘come-to-Jesus meeting’ While many areas of society still frown on drug use, mind-altering substances have become more commonplace in high-flying Silicon Valley and the startup sector.
—Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2024
From the looks of the frown on Dua’s face, it was also had a wildly unimpressive taste.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 12 Dec. 2023
Many people actually frown upon the idea of, say, wearing a red skirt and echoing that shade perfectly on your lips.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 7 Nov. 2023
Sitting beside him with a frown on his face was his son, Samir, a member of Arab al-Aramshe’s local council.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
Since their landlord would frown on an unmarried man living with two single women, the group pretended that Jack was gay.
—Alex Traub, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2023
In the late 1940s, when the emerging post–World War II global order started to frown upon such rank imperialism, the U.S. allowed Puerto Ricans to elect our own governor and start drafting a Constitution.
—Alberto C. Medina, The New Republic, 24 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frown on/upon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near frown on/upon
Cite this Entry
“Frown on/upon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frown%20on%2Fupon. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share