lour

USLOW-ur/ˈlaʊɚ/UKLOW-uh/ˈlaʊə/

Noun plurallours

4 meanings of lour

1
verbfigurativelyintransitive
Of clouds or the sky, to appear dark, gloomy, and threatening, as before a coming storm.
Like a brow darkening in the moment before someone loses their temper.
Storm clouds lour above the ridge, promising heavy rain by nightfall.
The horizon loured darkly as the fishermen hurried their boats ashore.
Similardarken, threaten, loom, glower, menace
Oppositeclear, brighten
2
verbintransitive
To frown; to wear a sullen, angry expression.
Like a storm cloud passing over someone's expression.
The old man would lour at the children who crossed his garden.
His face loured whenever the subject of money came up.
Similarscowl, glower
Oppositesmile, beam
3
nounfigurativelycountable
A dark, gloomy, and threatening appearance of the sky or weather.
A dull lour settled over the coast as the barometer fell.
Sailors read the lour overhead and reefed their sails early.
Similargloom, gloominess
4
nouncountable
A frown or scowl; an angry or sullen expression.
The teacher's lour silenced the whole room at once.
He met every question with the same stubborn lour.
Similarfrown, scowl, glower, glare
Oppositesmile, grin

Practice

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Origin

The verb derives from Middle English louren, lour, loure ("to frown or scowl; to be dark or overcast; to lurk"), probably from Old English *lūran, from Proto-Germanic *lūraną ("to lie in wait, lurk"). It is cognate with words like Danish lure, Dutch loeren, German lauern, and Swedish lura, and is related to 'lurk'. The noun is derived from the verb.