Meaning & use
furrowed her brow
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Meanings
phraseidiom
To move your eyebrows together and make lines appear on your forehead, usually because you are thinking hard, worried, or annoyed.
Grammar: Used as a complete verb phrase; the possessive adjective (her, his, my) changes with the subject: She furrowed her brow.
Patterns
- furrow one's brow
- furrow your brow at something
She furrowed her brow as she tried to solve the difficult math problem.
He furrowed his brow in confusion when he heard the strange noise.
The teacher furrowed her brow at the noisy students.
phraseidiom
To show that you are displeased or skeptical by tightening your forehead muscles.
Grammar: Often followed by 'at' to indicate the person or thing causing the reaction: furrowed her brow at his excuse.
Patterns
- furrow one's brow at someone
- furrow one's brow in disapproval
The manager furrowed his brow at the employee's late arrival.
She furrowed her brow at the suggestion, clearly not convinced.
Common combinations
- furrow one's brow in concentration
- He furrowed his brow in concentration while reading the complex instructions.
- furrow one's brow in confusion
- She furrowed her brow in confusion when she saw the unexpected bill.
- furrow one's brow at someone
- The mother furrowed her brow at her son when he interrupted.
- deeply furrowed brow
- His deeply furrowed brow showed years of worry.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scowl
- To scowl is to make an angry or bad-tempered expression, often involving the whole face, not just the brow.
- frown
- To frown is to bring your eyebrows together and turn down your mouth, usually showing disapproval or sadness; it is more general than furrowing the brow.
- wrinkle one's nose
- This means to show dislike or distaste by tightening the nose, not the forehead.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: furrowed her brow or farrow?
furrowed her brow vs farrow
Farrow means to give birth to piglets; it sounds similar but is completely different in meaning.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'furrowed her brow' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase indicates confusion, concentration, or worry, not happiness or relaxation. Option 1 is wrong because furrowing the brow does not show happiness; option 3 is wrong because it does not relax the face; option 4 is wrong because it is not a way to smile.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “furrowed her brow”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.