How to Use countenance in a Sentence

countenance

1 of 2 noun
  • The photograph showed his somber countenance.
  • His broad smile falls away, replaced with a grave countenance.
    — Alex Bhattacharji, WSJ, 28 Oct. 2021
  • His spirit and countenance is right.
    — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 29 May 2026
  • As in, the color of one’s countenance when feeling ill.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
  • That is what the public sees — Easy Eli, with a gee-whiz countenance.
    — John Branch, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2019
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • There were hot dogs whose meaty countenance resembled diseased flesh.
    — Emily Heil, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023
  • Two high-profile shows at the same time—and yet, her countenance displays no sign of exhaustion.
    — Dennis Braatz, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 May 2026
  • As the time passes between them seeing me, their countenances are even more concerned.
    — Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Dern adopts a weary countenance that suffuses her body with years’ worth of backstory.
    — Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 3 June 2022
  • Cutts is slight with long blonde hair, a soft Glaswegian accent and an eager countenance.
    — Sam Rigby, Quartz, 2 Nov. 2019
  • Her immense beauty is hidden in a cold palette and grim countenance.
    — Sopan Deb, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2018
  • May Adonai raise His countenance toward you and grant you peace.
    — Jamie Kravitz, Woman's Day, 28 Aug. 2023
  • Gold shimmer eye shadow breathed air into her otherwise blank countenance, while her side fringe framed her face.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 6 Aug. 2025
  • 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
  • More people could look at their own countenances more accurately, and more often.
    — Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • Yet events in Ukraine have not reached a point where Ukrainians can countenance compromise.
    — Christopher Blattman, Foreign Affairs, 29 Nov. 2022
  • 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
  • At sixty, Øino has a boyish mop and the mild countenance of a country parson.
    — Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022
  • Despite the preceding chaos, Dean’s countenance betrays no signs of alarm.
    — Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2023
  • Their facial expression and overall countenance was my cue to engage in light hallway banter.
    — Wunmi Bakare, Essence, 19 June 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
  • While gray speckles in his beard betray his youthful countenance, Thompson’s face has largely remained the same.
    — Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 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
  • Mike Dunlap flashed a smile, but a serious countenance quickly returned.
    — Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 12 Nov. 2022
  • Same for the middle-aged woman, who insists on covering up her heavy burdens with an always-cheerful countenance.
    — Dallas News, 11 Feb. 2022
  • 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
  • Even as Gibbs projects hardness, there’s something vulnerable about his sad-eyed countenance and world-weary vocals.
    — The New York Times Magazine, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2022

countenance

2 of 2 verb
  • I don't countenance such behavior in children of any age.
  • Would Spurs countenance the sale of Vuskovic?
    — David Ornstein, New York Times, 16 June 2026
  • None seems likely to countenance anything like a break from Moscow.
    — Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Sep. 2022
  • 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
  • And Aileen can’t even countenance the possibility that her son might be guilty.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 30 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
  • 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
  • The rebels were not even humiliated, when justice would have countenanced hanging them.
    — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 27 Oct. 2019
  • The play does not countenance for a moment the possibility of an honest mistake.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2022
  • In addition, there is something about the crime that Lasdun, who is himself married with children, cannot countenance.
    — Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
  • 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
  • Labour would not countenance a deal that left Britain as a passive recipient of rules decided elsewhere by others.
    — Bloomberg.com, 26 Feb. 2018
  • That may require a breaking of the status quo that neither Israel nor Abbas seems willing to countenance.
    — Washington Post, 7 July 2021
  • Germany has long been reluctant or unwilling to countenance any change that could put its taxpayers on the hook for its neighbors’ profligacy.
    — Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2018
  • During the 18th century, presidents restrained the press in ways that current courts would no longer countenance.
    — New York Times, 2 Oct. 2020
  • Another early exit is a prospect Madrid cannot countenance, but with great expectations comes great pressure.
    — Dan Cancian, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • 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
  • Queen of the seas, Britain seemed to countenance the pirating activities of the North African corsairs.
    — Thomas Wendel, National Review, 4 July 2019
  • Within a month of his audience with the shah, Sullivan fired off another report countenancing just that.
    — Amir-Hussein Radjy, New Republic, 6 July 2017
  • These may be luxuries that only an almost-unlimited budget would countenance.
    — Nancy A. Youssef, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026
  • 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
  • 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
  • Creamer even appears on one video to countenance plans to coordinate anti-Trump protests with Clinton’s campaign.
    — Daniel Bice, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 16 Nov. 2021
  • But Republicans began shedding their fears of default a long time ago—and transformed into a party willing to countenance a debt limit breach.
    — Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 18 Dec. 2021
  • 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
  • In that case, the former will likely countenance any plan to attack the latter without considering the possibility that they also might be harmed.
    — Daniel J. Pilla, National Review, 29 Sep. 2021
  • The Infanta, however, would not countenance a betrothal to a Protestant husband.
    — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2018
  • 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
  • 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
  • Labour-supporting Leavers who cannot countenance backing the Tories have an option in the Brexit Party.
    — The Economist, 5 Dec. 2019

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.

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