Phrasal verb
fawn on
Definition
phrasal verb. to praise someone too much or act too friendly because you want them to like you or give you something.
phrasal verb. 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.
Examples
“The employees fawn on the boss to get a promotion.”
“It was embarrassing to watch the reporters fawn on the movie star during the press conference.”
“The courtiers would constantly fawn on the young prince, hoping to secure influential positions before his eventual coronation.”
Examples
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.”
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.
Phrasal verb
Particles
on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
fawn + on + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/fawn-on