From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbrownbrown1 /braʊn/ ●●● S2 W2 adjective 1 CChaving the colour of earth, wood, or coffee dark brown hair2 BEAUTIFUL/GOOD-LOOKINGhaving skin that has been turned brown by the sun He’d been on vacation and looked very brown. He was as brown as a berry after two weeks in the sun.COLLOCATIONStypes of brownlight/pale browna light brown jacketdark/deep browndark brown eyeswarm browna warm brown shaderich browna rich brown colourreddish brownThe earth was reddish brown.golden brownCook until the cheese is golden brown.rusty brown (=an orange-brown colour)It was autumn and the leaves were already rusty brown.muddy brownthe muddy brown water of the riverchestnut brown (=a red-brown colour)a beautiful chestnut brown horsechocolate brownHe was wearing a chocolate brown pullover.
Examples from the Corpus
brown• He left and came back with a brown bag that he threw the bundles into.• Riker flew to the lone hill covered with tall brown grass and a few small trees.• Tall and thin, with dark brown hair, and blue eyes, he was an engineer.• His thick brown hair fell down the sides of his face.• Her skin gets really brown in the summer.• There were angry feelings on her part because we weren't brown like her.• The floor combined brown linoleum with brown and black tile.• Dim lights shone in brown parlour windows and there was a trail of yellow in the purpling sky behind the chimneys.• a brown shirtbrownbrown2 ●●● S2 W2 noun [countable, uncountable] CCthe colour of earth, wood, or coffee This particular model is available in brown, white, or grey. the browns and greens of the landscapeExamples from the Corpus
brown• There is an enormous range of colours available, from bright reds and yellows, through buffs and browns, to purplish-black.• As the wind breathes over it seems to find colours: yellows and browns and greens out there.• The rising sun slowly turns the drab greys and dull browns of the mountains to patches of pale gold and dusty pinks.• Her hair was a thick glossy bush of pale fawn brown, not quite shoulder-length.• Bamboo pieces also suit rooms painted white and in shades of green, browns and neutrals.• As the farmers plow their fields, some of the pastures seem striped; others are rich brown.• Thus the blacks on the boats reflect as lighter richer browns.brownbrown3 verb [intransitive, transitive] 1 DFCCOOKto heat food so that it turns brown, or to become brown by being heated First, brown the meat in a pan.2 DLOto become brown because of the sun’s heat, or to make something brown in this way The children’s faces were browned by the sun.3 → browned off→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
brown• Cook for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan until the yams are lightly browned. 3.• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil and saute carcasses until browned.• Saute until shallots are soft but not browned.• Saute, stirring often, until corn is lightly browned.• Once they are well browned, add the next four ingredients.• Even when the blossom was browned by heavy frost just before Christmas, it took only a fortnight to recover.• We two browned by summer stood against the blanched stonework of Cliff House.• Brown the meat in a frying pan.Origin brown1 Old English brun 