ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fawn on

phr. v..
C2 Proficiency Oxford Literary

phr. v.. to praise someone too much or act too friendly because you want them to like you or give you something.

phr. v.. to behave in a servile or sycophantic manner toward someone, typically to gain favor or advantage; often used to describe interactions with people in positions of power.


SIMPLE

The employees fawn on the boss to get a promotion.

CONTEXTUAL

It was embarrassing to watch the reporters fawn on the movie star during the press conference.

COMPLEX

The courtiers would constantly fawn on the young prince, hoping to secure influential positions before his eventual coronation.

Particles
on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
fawn + on + object
Usage

usually followed by a person in a position of authority or high social status.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'admire' or 'praise' to show the negative, insincere quality of 'fawning'; mention the related adjective 'fawning' which is more common in modern journalism.

Pitfall

He fawns his manager every day.He fawns on his manager every day.the verb requires the preposition 'on' (or sometimes 'over') to connect to the object.

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