crown

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
: a reward of victory or mark of honor
especially : the title representing the championship in a sport
2
: a royal or imperial headdress or cap of sovereignty : diadem
3
: the highest part: such as
a
: the topmost part of the skull or head
b
: the summit of a mountain
c
: the head of foliage of a tree or shrub
d
: the part of a hat or other headgear covering the crown of the head
e
: the part of a tooth external to the gum or an artificial substitute for this see tooth illustration
4
: a wreath, band, or circular ornament for the head
5
a
: something resembling a wreath or crown
b
: the knurled cap on top of a watch stem
6
often capitalized
a(1)
: imperial or regal power : sovereignty
(2)
: the government under a constitutional monarchy
b
7
: something that imparts splendor, honor, or finish : culmination
8
a
: any of several old gold coins with a crown as part of the device
b
: an old usually silver British coin worth five shillings
9
a
: koruna
b
: krona
c
: krone
d
: kroon
10
a
: the region of a seed plant at which stem and root merge
b
: the arching end of the shank of an anchor where the arms join it see anchor illustration
crowned adjective
crownless adjective

crown

2 of 2

verb

crowned; crowning; crowns

transitive verb

1
a
: to place a crown or wreath on the head of
specifically : to invest with regal dignity and power
b
: to recognize officially as
they crowned her athlete of the year
c
: to award a championship to
crown a new champion
2
: to bestow something on as a mark of honor or recompense : adorn
3
: surmount, top
especially : to top (a checker) with a checker to make a king
4
: to bring to a successful conclusion : climax
the role that crowned her career
5
: to provide with something like a crown: such as
a
: to fill so that the surface forms a crown
b
: to put an artificial crown on (a tooth)
6
: to hit on the head

intransitive verb

1
of a forest fire : to burn rapidly through the tops of trees
2
in childbirth : to appear and begin to emerge headfirst or crown first at the vaginal opening
the baby's head crowned

Examples of crown in a Sentence

Noun The winner of the beauty pageant walked down the runway wearing her sparkling crown. the blessing of the Spanish crown She was appointed by the Crown. Verb The magazine crowned her the new queen of rock-and-roll music. She crowned her long and distinguished career by designing the city's beautiful new bridge.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
About two or three weeks after planting, new leaves will begin to emerge from the middle of the pineapple crown. Grace Haynes, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2024 The next room, a 5,000-square-foot space with 40-foot ceilings, uses 26 projectors to display shifting, contorting images from Nachum’s artwork: a giant bird flapping its wings, a cascade of flower petals, a person wearing a crown with Braille on it. Christopher Kuo, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Participants can learn blind contouring, create a self portrait, or create a traditional Hawaiian flower crown. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 Yet the hosts rallied in the second half, equalizing before Sebastian Haller drilled home a winner just 10 minutes from full-time to secure a third AFCON crown for Les Éléphants and break Nigerian hearts. Callum Sutherland, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Their bodies are mostly grey in color, but adults have a distinct red crown on their heads with pale white cheeks. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 However, as Half Moon celebrates 70 years as a gem in Jamaica’s resort offerings crown, Steuart grows concerned that State Department advisory made the tourism marketplace more treacherous. Richard Fowler, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Featuring a creamy broth, roasted chicken, savory vegetables and a crown of fluffy dumplings, the iconic comfort food requires only one pot and about 30 minutes. Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024 Pinewood also knocked off Mitty for the CCS Open crown during the spring pandemic season in 2021. Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
To date, Drag Race Down Under has crowned three winners: Kita Mean, Spankie Jackzon, and Isis Avis Loren. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024 After winning Olympic gold in Tokyo three years ago – the first Asian athlete to do so in the javelin – Chopra was crowned world champion in Budapest last year, becoming the first Indian to win a world title in a track and field event of any kind. George Ramsay, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Vote below for your favorite looks, and check back to see which celeb was crowned best-dressed of the night. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024 Nicole Kidman, Birth (2004) Kidman, crowned with an Oscar for playing Virginia Woolf with a parrot’s beak for a nose in The Hours (2002), has often kept her dance card filled with smaller, offbeat movies that don’t necessarily click with audiences. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 Overall Results The Millennium Cup Division crowned Perseusˆ3 for the win, with Sassafras in second and Janice of Wyoming third. Kathleen Turner, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Competitors construct desserts primarily made of meat, which a panel of judges scores on design and flavor to crown the esteemed Meat King. The Indianapolis Star, 27 Feb. 2024 Chopped buttered lobster, charcoal fennel and cabbage slaw, coriander crema and chile arbol macha crowned a delicate tostada, which magically remained crispy to the end. The Arizona Republic, 26 Feb. 2024 The Copa America men’s soccer tournament crowning the de facto South American champion is in U.S. this summer from June 20 to July 14, with final at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium -- and Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi is sure to want to help Argentina defend ts 2021 title. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English coroune, croune, borrowed from Anglo-French corone, coroune, going back to Latin corōna "wreath, garland worn on the head as a mark of honor or emblem of majesty," borrowed from Greek korṓnē "crow, seabird (perhaps a shearwater), any of various curved or hooked objects (as a door handle or tip of a bow), kind of crown," perhaps formed from an original n-stem nominative *kor-ōn "crow, seabird," from a base *kor- — more at cornice

Note: Old English corona "crown," a weak noun borrowed directly from Latin, may have been replaced by the Anglo-French word if it was continued into Middle English at all. Ancient Greek korṓnē, though marginally attested in the meaning "crown, garland" (as something bent or curved?), is nonetheless presumed to be the source of the Latin word; aside from a gloss "kind of crown" (eîdos stephánou) by the lexicographer Hesychius, this sense is known only from a single fragment, of doubtful interpretation, by Sophron of Syracuse, a writer of mime. As both Sophron and the lyric poet Stesichorus, who used the derivative korōnís "garland," wrote in Doric, it is possible that the meaning "garland," whatever its origin, was peculiar to western dialects of Greek and hence transmitted to Latin.

Verb

Middle English corounen, crounen, borrowed from Anglo-French coroner, corouner, going back to Latin corōnare "to deck with garlands, wreath, encircle," derivative of corōna "wreathe, garland worn on the head as a mark of honor or emblem of majesty" — more at crown entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of crown was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near crown

Cite this Entry

“Crown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crown. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crown

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a wreath or band for the head especially as a mark of victory or honor
b
: the title representing a sports championship
the heavyweight crown
2
: a royal headdress
3
a
: the top of the head
b
: the highest part (as of a mountain or tree)
c
: the part of a hat covering the crown of the head
d
: the part of a tooth outside of the gum
4
: something resembling a crown
5
often capitalized
a
: royal power or authority
b
: the executive part of the British government
6
: any of various coins (as an old British coin worth five shillings)
crowned adjective
crownlike
ˈkrau̇n-ˌlīk
adjective

crown

2 of 2 verb
1
a
: to place a crown on
especially : to make sovereign
b
: to declare officially to be
was crowned champion
2
a
: top entry 2 sense 2
snow crowned the mountain's peak
b
: to top a checker with a checker to make a king
3
: to bring to a successful conclusion : finish off : complete
4
of a forest fire : to burn rapidly through the tops of trees

Medical Definition

crown

1 of 2 noun
1
: the topmost part of the skull or head
2
: the part of a tooth external to the gum or an artificial substitute for this

crown

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to put an artificial crown on (a tooth)

intransitive verb

in childbirth : to appear at the vaginal opening
used of the first part (as the crown of the head) of the infant to appear
an anesthetic was given when the head crowned

More from Merriam-Webster on crown

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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