What does "brownie" mean?
A small square piece of rich cake, usually made with chocolate.
Brownie
/ˈbɹaʊni/ name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small square piece of rich cake, usually made with chocolate.
- Grammar: brownie is listed as name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: elf, apple polisher, apple-polisher, ariel.
- Useful contrasts: demon, high end camera, hostile spirit.
- Usage evidence: You might just chalk up some brownie points.
How to use "brownie"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "brownie" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "brownie" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "brownie" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "brownie" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "brownie" is acting as name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "elf" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "brownie", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small square piece of rich cake, usually made with chocolate. countable, usually
"Order for the brownie was placed but it took half an hour to prepare it."
- 2 A junior Girl Guide. Australia, British, Canada
"1958 July 14, Boot by a Brash Brownie, LIFE, page 124, In Toronto young Brownies of the Girl Guides, the Canadian girl scouts, stood in parade formation with full-fledged Guides."
- 3 square or bar of very rich chocolate cake usually with nuts wordnet
- 4 A sweet bread with brown sugar and currants. Australia, New-Zealand, uncountable
"It was an amusing sight to see the three of us, each with a huge hunch of “browny” (bread sweetened with brown sugar and currants) in one hand, and a lump of ice in the other, for there was no water within reach."
- 5 A junior Girl Scout. US
"1952 March 24, Girl Scouts: They Are Observing Their 40th Birthday, LIFE, page 109, Any girl willing to follow the simple rules can join the Girl Scouts. As Brownies they will spend most of their time playing games and singing songs like the Brownie Smile Song: “I′ve something in my pocket; It belongs across my face, And I keep it very close at hand In a most convenient place.... I′m sure you couldn′t guess it If you guessed a long, long while, So I′ll take it out and put it on—It′s a great big Brownie smile!”"
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 (folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous wordnet
- 7 A mythical creature, a helpful elf who would secretly do people's housework for them. countable, uncountable
"Thus, offer Brownie a piece of bread, a cup of drink, or a new coat and hood, and he flouted at it, and perhaps, in his huff, quitted the place for ever ; but leave a nice bowl of cream, and some fresh honeycomb, in a snug private corner, and they soon disappeared, though Brownie, it was to be supposed, never knew any thing of them."
- 8 a junior Girl Scout wordnet
- 9 A copper coin, brown in colour; a penny, halfpenny, or cent. countable, uncountable
"He rose and jingled in his pockets for change and drew out two brownies. He went and set one on each of Monroe’s eyes[.]"
- 10 A household spirit or revered ancestor. countable, uncountable
- 11 Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the Eurasian genus Miletus. countable, uncountable
- 12 A brown trout (Salmo trutta). countable, informal, uncountable
- 13 A widow rockfish (Sebastes entomelas), a fish in the family Sebastidae. countable, informal, uncountable
"Depending upon the species, fishers may harvest along the ocean floor for many rockfish and other groundfish, while hake, pollock, and some rockfish species (i.e. greenies and brownies) are targeted with mid-water trawls."
- 14 Alternative letter-case form of Brownie (“a girl in the first level of Girl Guides (US: Girl Scouts)”). alt-of, countable, uncountable
- 15 A tall, long-necked beer bottle, made from brown coloured glass. Australia, New-Zealand, colloquial, countable, uncountable
- 16 A person with brown skin. countable, ethnic, offensive, slur, uncountable
Proper Noun
- 1 A nickname of the surname Brown.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"You might just chalk up some brownie points."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "brownie"?
Common synonyms include: elf, apple polisher, apple-polisher, ariel, ass-licker, backscratcher.
How do you use "brownie" in a sentence?
You might just chalk up some brownie points.
How do you pronounce "brownie"?
Pronounced /ˈbɹaʊni/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From brown + -ie (diminutive suffix). In folkloric sense, originally Scots. For sense 7, compare with Dutch kabouter (“a very young female member of the scout movement”) (literally "gnome").
Etymology 2
From brownie (“a helpful elf”). Specifically, inspired by the story "The Brownies" by Juliana Horatia Ewing (published in 1870, The Brownies and Other Tales), in which two children, Tommy and Betty, learn that children can be helpful brownies or lazy boggarts. But compare with Dutch kabouter (“a very young female member of the scout movement”) (literally, a "gnome").
Etymology 3
From Brown + -ie.