as in to fuss
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior
a student who could not wait to fawn over the new teacher
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Recent Examples of fawn
The mind-boggling design for the measuring spoon first wowed the Internet in 2016 after a video promoting the Kickstarter campaign went viral and spawned widespread media coverage fawning over the unique design.
—
Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2025
The charm offensive worked: the media fawned over her reading diet, her pink cashmere inauguration coat, her elegant gray hair.
—Sanjena Sathian, TIME, 11 Mar. 2025
In short clips that have reached upward of four million views and 600,000 likes on TikTok, users are fawning over the rising star’s good looks and passionate on-court personality.
—Brendan Le, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
As per usual, the NFL player was in the comment section fawning over the singer and tempting her with a good time.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fawn
Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2025
The charm offensive worked: the media fawned over her reading diet, her pink cashmere inauguration coat, her elegant gray hair.
—Sanjena Sathian, TIME, 11 Mar. 2025
In short clips that have reached upward of four million views and 600,000 likes on TikTok, users are fawning over the rising star’s good looks and passionate on-court personality.
—Brendan Le, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
As per usual, the NFL player was in the comment section fawning over the singer and tempting her with a good time.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fawn
Verb
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Really good, and if you’re not fussed about mod cons or hybrid tech, one can be sat on your driveway for just £18,850 ($24,388).—
Matthew MacConnell,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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Even so, the film’s Very Online fandom didn’t seem fussed.—
Louis Staples,
Rolling Stone,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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There’s a reason scouts once drooled over Williams’ potential.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2025
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Symptoms from scorpion stings — such as burning at the sting site, drooling.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Hamlet’s toadying friends, the hangers-on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, are Izzard’s own talking hands, popping up to face her like a pair of Muppets.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2024
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This is the aspect of his production that made his reputation but is sometimes denigrated as superficial and toadying.—
Sebastian Smee,
Washington Post,
20 Nov. 2023
Verb
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Unless Trump’s art of the deal is all about truckling to Putin.—
Maureen Dowd,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
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Garbarino enjoyed his time with the Southern river rats and mountain folk, and their refusal to truckle to authority delights him to this day.—
David Samuels,
Town & Country,
18 Oct. 2013
Verb
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Meanwhile, other sources have pointed to the belief that Johnson’s background in progressive organizing repels him from anything that looks like kowtowing.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2025
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Under that system, countries acknowledged the cultural and political superiority of China and expressed deference to Chinese authority—including literally kowtowing before the Chinese emperor in order to trade with China.—
Elizabeth Economy,
Foreign Affairs,
13 June 2017
Cite this Entry
“Fawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fawn. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
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