Meaning & use
pouting
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“pouting” is a form of “pout”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Showing displeasure by pushing the lips forward and outward, often in a childish or sulky way.
Grammar: Used before a noun to describe someone's expression or mood, as in 'a pouting face' or 'a pouting child'.
Patterns
- a pouting expression
- a pouting child
- a pouting lip
She sat with a pouting expression after losing the game.
The pouting child refused to eat his vegetables.
He gave a pouting look when his friend got the last piece of cake.
verbintransitive
The present participle of pout; in the act of pushing out the lips in annoyance or sulkiness.
Grammar: Used after the verb be to form continuous tenses, or as a participle to describe an ongoing action: 'She is pouting.'
Patterns
- be pouting
- pouting about something
She is pouting because she didn't get her way.
The toddler was pouting in the corner after being told no.
He kept pouting about the unfair decision.
noununcountable
The action or an instance of pushing out the lips in displeasure; a sulky expression.
Grammar: Used as a noun to refer to the behavior or the expression, often in the phrase 'a lot of pouting' or 'some pouting'.
Patterns
- a lot of pouting
- some pouting
There was a lot of pouting when the party ended early.
Her constant pouting made it hard to have a serious conversation.
Common combinations
- pouting lips
- She had pouting lips after the argument.
- pouting face
- He made a pouting face to show he was upset.
- stop pouting
- Stop pouting and tell me what's wrong.
- pouting about
- The kids were pouting about the rainy day.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sulking
- Sulking suggests a longer, more silent bad mood, while pouting focuses on the visible lip-pushing expression.
- moping
- Moping implies sadness and listlessness, not necessarily the specific lip gesture of pouting.
Word family
Commonly confused: pouting or pouting?
pouting vs pouting
Not to be confused with 'pouting' as in the fish pouting (a type of fish), which is a different, rare sense.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pouting' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Pouting is intransitive and describes the action of pushing out the lips; it does not take a direct object or specific prepositions like 'to' or 'of' in this sense. Option 1 correctly uses it to show the reason with 'because'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pouting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.