Meaning & use
furrow my brows
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
To move your eyebrows together and down, making lines on your forehead, usually when confused or worried.
Grammar: Used with a possessive adjective: 'furrow my brows', 'furrow his brows'. The verb 'furrow' is transitive here.
Patterns
- furrow my brows
- furrow your brows
- furrow one's brows
I furrowed my brows when I read the confusing instructions.
She furrowed her brows, trying to remember where she had seen him before.
He furrowed his brows in anger when he heard the unfair decision.
Word forms
| third person singular | furrows my brows |
|---|---|
| past tense | furrowed my brows |
| past participle | furrowed my brows |
| -ing form | furrowing my brows |
Common combinations
- furrow your brows in confusion
- She furrowed her brows in confusion at the difficult question.
- furrow your brows at someone
- He furrowed his brows at me, wondering why I was late.
- furrow your brows slightly
- He furrowed his brows slightly, not fully understanding.
Synonyms and how they differ
- knit your brows
- Very similar, but 'knit' often suggests drawing the brows together in concentration or displeasure; 'furrow' emphasizes the lines that appear.
- scowl
- Stronger and more negative; it means to look angry, not just puzzled.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: furrow my brows or wrinkle my nose?
furrow my brows vs wrinkle my nose
This means to make small lines on your nose, usually when you smell something bad or dislike something. It is not about the eyebrows.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
The phrase needs a possessive adjective before 'brows': 'his brows'. Option A has the wrong possessive (my instead of her). Options C and D have the wrong word order.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “furrow my brows”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.