brown·nose

or brown-nose (broun′nōz′)

tr.v. brown·nosed, brown·nos·ing, brown·nos·es or brown-nosed or brown-nos·ing or brown-nos·es Informal

To curry favor with in an obsequious manner; fawn on.

[From the image of an obsequious person whose nose becomes soiled with excrement in kissing the buttocks of someone from whom favor is sought.]

brown′nose′ n.

brown′nos′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

brown-nose

to be abjectly subservient (to); curry favour (with)

an abjectly subservient person; sycophant

[C20: from the notion that a subservient person kisses the backside of the person with whom he or she is currying favour]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

brown′-nose`

v. -nosed, -nos•ing,
n. Slang. v.i.

1. to curry favor.

v.t.

2. to seek favors from (a person) in an obsequious manner; fawn over.

3. Also, brown′-nos`er. a toady.

[1935–40]

brown-nose

Past participle: brown-nosed
Gerund: brown-nosing

Imperative
brown-nose
brown-nose

Present
I brown-nose
you brown-nose
he/she/it brown-noses
we brown-nose
you brown-nose
they brown-nose

Preterite
I brown-nosed
you brown-nosed
he/she/it brown-nosed
we brown-nosed
you brown-nosed
they brown-nosed

Present Continuous
I am brown-nosing
you are brown-nosing
he/she/it is brown-nosing
we are brown-nosing
you are brown-nosing
they are brown-nosing

Present Perfect
I have brown-nosed
you have brown-nosed
he/she/it has brown-nosed
we have brown-nosed
you have brown-nosed
they have brown-nosed

Past Continuous
I was brown-nosing
you were brown-nosing
he/she/it was brown-nosing
we were brown-nosing
you were brown-nosing
they were brown-nosing

Past Perfect
I had brown-nosed
you had brown-nosed
he/she/it had brown-nosed
we had brown-nosed
you had brown-nosed
they had brown-nosed

Future
I will brown-nose
you will brown-nose
he/she/it will brown-nose
we will brown-nose
you will brown-nose
they will brown-nose

Future Perfect
I will have brown-nosed
you will have brown-nosed
he/she/it will have brown-nosed
we will have brown-nosed
you will have brown-nosed
they will have brown-nosed

Future Continuous
I will be brown-nosing
you will be brown-nosing
he/she/it will be brown-nosing
we will be brown-nosing
you will be brown-nosing
they will be brown-nosing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been brown-nosing
you have been brown-nosing
he/she/it has been brown-nosing
we have been brown-nosing
you have been brown-nosing
they have been brown-nosing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been brown-nosing
you will have been brown-nosing
he/she/it will have been brown-nosing
we will have been brown-nosing
you will have been brown-nosing
they will have been brown-nosing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been brown-nosing
you had been brown-nosing
he/she/it had been brown-nosing
we had been brown-nosing
you had been brown-nosing
they had been brown-nosing

Conditional
I would brown-nose
you would brown-nose
he/she/it would brown-nose
we would brown-nose
you would brown-nose
they would brown-nose

Past Conditional
I would have brown-nosed
you would have brown-nosed
he/she/it would have brown-nosed
we would have brown-nosed
you would have brown-nosed
they would have brown-nosed

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Verb

brown-nose - flatter with the intention of getting something

butter up

blandish, flatter - praise somewhat dishonestly

Translations

brown-nose

[ˈbraʊnˌnəʊz] (US)

A. N → lameculos mf inv

B. VT → lamer el culo a

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005