MEANING
1. To give approval or support to something, or allow it to continue.
2. A person's face, especially its expression or appearance.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- countenance a proposal
- refuse to countenance
On the page
She would not countenance a search conducted without witnesses.
The council countenanced the delay but not the destruction of the records.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- countenance
- Past tense
- countenanced
- Past participle
- countenanced
- Present participle
- countenancing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- countenance
- Present continuous
- am/is/are countenancing
- Present perfect
- have/has countenanced
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been countenancing
- Past
- countenanced
- Past continuous
- was/were countenancing
- Past perfect
- had countenanced
- Past perfect continuous
- had been countenancing
- Future
- will countenance
- Future continuous
- will be countenancing
- Future perfect
- will have countenanced
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been countenancing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: countenance; countenances; countenanced; countenanced; countenancing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: countenances.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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