to scowl, to frown; to gather (fabric)
“Quelque chose de plus fort qu'elle la poussait vers lui, si bien qu'un jour, la voyant survenir à l'improviste, il fronça le visage comme quelqu'un de contrarié.” — Something stronger than herself forced her to him; so much so, that one day, seeing her come unexpectedly, he frowned as one put out.
From fronce "frown, scowl" from Middle French fronce, from Old French fronces, fronche "frown, wrinkles, small creases in cloth", from Frankish *hrunkja "wrinkle" from Proto-Germanic *hrunkijō, *hrunkitō (“fold, wrinkle”), from Proto-Indo-European *sker- (“to turn, bend”). Akin to Old High German runza "fold, wrinkle, crease" (German Runzel "wrinkle"), Middle Dutch ronse "frown", Old Norse hrukka "wrinkle, crease" (Icelandic hrukka "wrinkle, crease, ruck"). More at ruck₂.