Word
fawn
US/ˈfɔn/
UK/fˈɔːn/
Definition
v. to act too friendly or give too much praise to someone powerful because you want them to like you. You use this when someone is trying too hard to please a boss or a leader.
v. to seek favour or attention through excessive flattery or obsequious behaviour. Intransitive; typically describes a subordinate's interaction with a superior.
Examples
“The employees fawn over the new manager to get a promotion.”
“It was embarrassing to watch the junior associates fawn over the senior partner during the entire dinner party.”
“While some advisors were willing to fawn over the monarch to secure their positions, the chancellor remained stoic and offered only blunt, honest assessments of the kingdom's finances.”
Examples
simple
“The employees fawn over the new manager to get a promotion.”
contextual
“It was embarrassing to watch the junior associates fawn over the senior partner during the entire dinner party.”
complex
“While some advisors were willing to fawn over the monarch to secure their positions, the chancellor remained stoic and offered only blunt, honest assessments of the kingdom's finances.”
Usage
The verb is intransitive and is almost always followed by the preposition 'over'.
Pitfall
He fawns the boss
He fawns over the boss
Fawn is intransitive and requires the preposition 'over' before the person being praised.
Real-World Examples
“Locals and tourists have long fawned over Catalina Island’s mule deer population.” “Cohen delivered one of the most deferential, fawning, oleaginous and sycophantic interviews in modern broadcasting history.”