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

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

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.

A fawn is a baby deer. If you flatter that deer to win their friendship by saying "What pretty white spots you have!" then you are fawning over it. In comparison, a faun is a half-human half-goat creature …

A fawn is a very young deer. The fawn ran to the top of the ridge. If you say that someone fawns over a powerful or rich person, you disapprove of them because they flatter that person and like to be with …