How to Use countenance in a Sentence

countenance

1 of 2 noun
Definition of countenancenext
Synonyms for countenancenext
  • The photograph showed his somber countenance.
  • The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you.
    — Cnn Staff, CNN, 18 May 2018
  • On the last day of the Grand Prix, with his job on the line, his odds looked as grim as his countenance.
    — Ben Dooley, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2020
  • At the sight of her bright smile and studied countenance.
    — Roy S. Johnson | [email protected], al, 26 Feb. 2022
  • That is what the public sees — Easy Eli, with a gee-whiz countenance.
    — John Branch, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2019
  • The tone and timbre of his voice, his attire and his countenance evoke the sermons of my childhood.
    — Caleb Gayle, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2023
  • Eva Tavares opened the local stop on the tour as a lovely Christine, both in voice and bright-eyed countenance.
    — Theodore P. Mahne, NOLA.com, 19 Mar. 2018
  • For the most part, Trump adopted a sober countenance throughout his trip.
    — Benjamin Hart, Daily Intelligencer, 1 Sep. 2017
  • With his big shock of gray hair and not unattractively worn countenance, Lopez is nice to have around.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2022
  • His broad smile falls away, replaced with a grave countenance.
    — Alex Bhattacharji, WSJ, 28 Oct. 2021
  • And though her countenance is Apollonian, her option for the world is Dionysian: release the brakes and drop the reigns.
    — Kyle Munkittrick, Discover Magazine, 1 Sep. 2011
  • Woods had just bogeyed the fifth and double bogeyed the short sixth, and his countenance was as foreboding as the clouds out to sea.
    — Rob Hodgetts, CNN, 18 July 2019
  • May Adonai raise His countenance toward you and grant you peace.
    — Jamie Kravitz, Woman's Day, 28 Aug. 2023
  • Cutts is slight with long blonde hair, a soft Glaswegian accent and an eager countenance.
    — Sam Rigby, Quartz, 2 Nov. 2019
  • Your countenance, though wrinkled and blemished, can be adorned with the joy of the Lord and made lovely with his kindness and compassion.
    — David Roper, idahostatesman, 26 Jan. 2018
  • Yet events in Ukraine have not reached a point where Ukrainians can countenance compromise.
    — Christopher Blattman, Foreign Affairs, 29 Nov. 2022
  • At sixty, Øino has a boyish mop and the mild countenance of a country parson.
    — Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022
  • The final hints in the quest for Cleopatra’s countenance come from the writings of Romans in the centuries after her death, though some show obvious bias.
    — Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 11 Jan. 2021
  • Striding inside the ropes between holes, the younger Woods maintained a stoic countenance and gazed ahead as fans shouted his name.
    — Edgar Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, 19 Dec. 2021
  • Dern adopts a weary countenance that suffuses her body with years’ worth of backstory.
    — Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 3 June 2022
  • Despite the preceding chaos, Dean’s countenance betrays no signs of alarm.
    — Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2023
  • Her stance may be modeled on 17th century paintings, but her countenance becomes that of a Greek bust.
    — Gabriella Fuller, ELLE Decor, 16 Oct. 2018
  • Her immense beauty is hidden in a cold palette and grim countenance.
    — Sopan Deb, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2018
  • Men stare out from the pictures toward the unseen countenances of the people who were photographed looking toward them — and thus at the live spectator as well.
    — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
  • With his bulldog build and his doleful countenance, Mr. Young amassed more than 160 film and television credits.
    — Alex Williams, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2023
  • Though Duncan played the game with the expressionless countenance of a Sphinx, inside beat the heart of a cold-blooded, competitive killer.
    — Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 14 May 2021
  • His countenance is familiar to readers of his blog, www.cfpbmonitor.com, which has tracked the agency in detail since 2011 and now has a full-time lawyer-manager, Barbara Mishkin.
    — Joseph N. Distefano, Philly.com, 21 June 2018
  • But in order to add some excitement around the launch of its new people-hauler, the lion-logo brand also rolled out the Rifter 4×4 concept, a van with a more rugged, outlaw countenance.
    — Joe Lorio, Car and Driver, 21 Feb. 2018
  • Kapler and his youthful bench coach, Kai Correa, strike a cloned countenance with their identical glasses and facial hair.
    — Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Oct. 2021
  • Taft’s successor, Woodrow Wilson, would have slid beneath the waters—a saint of gothic countenance.
    — Lance Morrow, WSJ, 14 Dec. 2018
Advertisement

countenance

2 of 2 verb
  • I don't countenance such behavior in children of any age.
  • Franks knows the scent of damp earth under plow, the touch of sap on a cold tree, and how to write about men who cannot countenance the wildness of women.
    — The Week Staff, The Week, 26 Aug. 2023
  • Few want to countenance an even more extreme option: that the LCDM model is at fault.
    — Bydaniel Clery, science.org, 28 Mar. 2023
  • Give up, go cash, be grateful for the fig leaves available to those who — bless them all — can’t countenance asking for money.
    — Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2021
  • There were, as well, the human costs that today’s Green New Dealers, to their credit, would not countenance.
    — Kevin Baker, Harper's magazine, 10 May 2019
  • The future of the Afghan people was painful to consider, and the notion of a US relationship with the Taliban was hard to countenance.
    — Frida Ghitis, CNN, 26 Aug. 2021
  • Queen of the seas, Britain seemed to countenance the pirating activities of the North African corsairs.
    — Thomas Wendel, National Review, 4 July 2019
  • And yet the same Western governments that have cheered the Kurds’ efforts are unprepared to countenance their desire for a state of their own.
    — Jonathan S. Tobin, National Review, 26 Sep. 2017
  • None seems likely to countenance anything like a break from Moscow.
    — Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Sep. 2022
  • Down in the basement were others, most of them pensioners too poor or too old to countenance the idea of going anywhere.
    — Nabih Bulosstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2022
  • But here’s one theme you may never have countenanced: the science vacation.
    — Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2019
  • To make matters worse, the right-wing judiciary has shown itself to be more than willing to countenance these power grabs.
    — Emma Roller, The New Republic, 16 Aug. 2021
  • And Aileen can’t even countenance the possibility that her son might be guilty.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 30 Sep. 2022
  • That may require a breaking of the status quo that neither Israel nor Abbas seems willing to countenance.
    — Washington Post, 7 July 2021
  • The play does not countenance for a moment the possibility of an honest mistake.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2022
  • Labour-supporting Leavers who cannot countenance backing the Tories have an option in the Brexit Party.
    — The Economist, 5 Dec. 2019
  • The real threat to peace and security, of course, was the system of slavery itself and a Christianity that countenanced it.
    — Andrew Lawler, Smithsonian, 7 Feb. 2017
  • The real threat to peace and security, of course, was the system of slavery itself and a Christianity that countenanced it.
    — Andrew Lawler, Smithsonian, 7 Feb. 2017
  • When news comes that Fort Sumter has been fired upon, Austin declares his intention to enlist, only to be thwarted by his father, who will not countenance the loss of a son.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2017
  • Yet neither of them is willing to countenance being victims.
    — David Benedict, Variety, 5 Oct. 2022
  • In exchange, Kim promised to stop nuclear and missile testing for now and to countenance the joint military drills in South Korea next month.
    — Susan Page, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2018
  • But, of course, the budget airline’s plan doesn’t countenance the most direct means of cutting carbon emissions: flying less.
    — Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2022
  • Jesus’ refusal to countenance any kind of divorce in Mark’s Gospel is, to Ross, a foundational doctrine.
    — Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, 20 Apr. 2018
  • During the 18th century, presidents restrained the press in ways that current courts would no longer countenance.
    — New York Times, 2 Oct. 2020
  • The rebels were not even humiliated, when justice would have countenanced hanging them.
    — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 27 Oct. 2019
  • The Christmas season also comes with a soundtrack few of us would ever countenance were it not for secular tradition.
    — Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2020
  • But privately British officials say that for any attempt to take back areas such as Crimea, Ukraine and the West must be willing to countenance a much greater threat of the use of chemical or nuclear weapons.
    — Vivian Salama, WSJ, 16 May 2022
  • The Government will not countenance enemy aliens within 100 yards of a wharf or pier under any circumstances.
    — Johnny Miller, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Feb. 2018
  • Debbie’s departure comes as a slant blessing to the reader, too, who has had to countenance the book’s many rhapsodic statements about the sisters’ dynamic.
    — Zoe Hu, Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2023
  • But Ukrainian concessions appear to be something many in Western countries are willing to countenance.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2023

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

Last Updated: