Meaning & use
burrowing eyebrows
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Meanings
nounpluralinformalhumorous
Thick, dark eyebrows that grow close together above the nose, so they look as if they are digging toward each other.
Grammar: Always plural: you talk about someone's burrowing eyebrows, never 'a burrowing eyebrow'.
Patterns
- have burrowing eyebrows
- someone's burrowing eyebrows
- with burrowing eyebrows
He has burrowing eyebrows that meet in the middle above his nose.
In the photo her burrowing eyebrows give her a serious, almost angry look.
The barber asked whether she wanted her burrowing eyebrows trimmed in the center.
nounpluralfigurative
A pair of eyebrows that appear to move or push downward as a person frowns or concentrates.
Grammar: Plural noun; often used after a possessive such as 'his' or 'her'.
Patterns
- someone's burrowing eyebrows
- burrowing eyebrows as someone frowns
His burrowing eyebrows sank lower with every page of the report he read.
She answered slowly, her burrowing eyebrows drawing together in thought.
Whenever he is puzzled, his burrowing eyebrows seem to crawl toward his nose.
Common combinations
- thick burrowing eyebrows
- He is known for his thick burrowing eyebrows and deep voice.
- dark burrowing eyebrows
- Her dark burrowing eyebrows make her eyes stand out.
- have burrowing eyebrows
- Both brothers have burrowing eyebrows that join above the nose.
- raise burrowing eyebrows
- She can raise one of her burrowing eyebrows higher than the other.
- trim burrowing eyebrows
- He asked the stylist to trim his burrowing eyebrows a little.
Synonyms and how they differ
- beetle brows
- Also informal and humorous, but it suggests brows that stick out heavily rather than ones that seem to grow toward each other.
- unibrow
- A more direct, often disapproving word for eyebrows that meet in the middle; it names the joined hair itself, not the digging movement.
- heavy brows
- A neutral description of thick eyebrows; it says nothing about them being close together or seeming to move.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: burrowing eyebrows or furrowed brow?
burrowing eyebrows vs furrowed brow
A furrowed brow means the skin above the eyes is wrinkled because someone is worried or thinking hard; it describes a temporary expression, while burrowing eyebrows describe the permanent shape of the hair.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'burrowing eyebrows' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Burrowing eyebrows' describes thick brows that grow close together, so the sentence about them almost touching fits. Option 0 is odd because the phrase already suggests a fixed shape rather than a quick movement, option 2 treats it as a single object you can pluck, and option 3 treats it as a plant.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “burrowing eyebrows”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.