- brown-nose
- verbflatter with the intention of getting something• Syn: ↑butter up• Verb Frames:-
Somebody ——s somebody
-Sam cannot brown-nose Sue
* * *
/brown"nohz'/, v., brown-nosed, brown-nosing, n. Slang.v.i.1. to curry favor; behave obsequiously.v.t.n.[1935-40; BROWN + NOSE]* * *
brownˈ-nose transitive verb and intransitive verb (vulgar sl)To act obsequiously (towards), curry favour (with)nounAn extremely obsequious person (also brownˈ-noser)• • •Main Entry: ↑brown* * *
brown-nose UK US verb [intransitive/transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they brown-nose he/she/it brown-noses present participle brown-nosing past tense brown-nosed past participle brown-nosed] informal, showing disapprovalto try very hard to please someone important or powerful, for example by agreeing with them all the time, in a way that annoys other peopleThesaurus: to try hard to please or impress someonesynonymDerived Word: brown-nosing* * *
1. 2.v. [trans.] curry favor with (someone) by acting in such a wayacademics were brown-nosing the senior faculty | [intrans.] I dedicated a book to him-I was not brown-nosing
Origin:the assumed result of ass-kissing* * *
ˈbrown-nose [brown-nose brown-noses brown-nosed brown-nosing] verb intransitive (informal, disapproving)to treat sb in authority with special respect in order to make them approve of you or treat you better•
He got that promotion by brown-nosing.
Verb forms:
Useful english dictionary. 2012.