fawn, toady, truckle, cringe, cower mean to behave abjectly before a superior. fawn implies seeking favor by servile flattery or exaggerated attention.

FAWN meaning: to try to get the approval of an important or powerful person by giving that person praise, special attention, etc. usually + over or on

fawn verb [I] (PRAISE) to give someone a lot of attention and praise in order to get that person’s approval:

To seek favor or attention by flattery and obsequious behavior. [Middle English faunen, from Old English fagnian, to rejoice, from fagen, fægen, glad.] fawn′er n.

Dec 11, 2025 · fawn (third-person singular simple present fawns, present participle fawning, simple past and past participle fawned) (intransitive) To exhibit affection or attempt to please.

fawn′er, n. fawn′ing•ly, adv. fawn′ing•ness, n. 1. toady, truckle, flatter, kowtow.

FAWN definition: a young deer, especially an unweaned one. See examples of fawn used in a sentence.