Definition of COWER

Choose the Right Synonym for cower

fawn, toady, truckle, cringe, cower mean to behave abjectly before a superior. fawn implies seeking favor by servile flattery or exaggerated attention. waiters fawning over a celebrity toady suggests the attempt to ingratiate oneself by an abjectly menial or subservient attitude. toadying to his boss truckle implies the subordination of oneself and one's desires or judgment to those of a superior. truckling to a powerful lobbyist cringe suggests a bowing or shrinking in fear or servility. a cringing sycophant cower suggests a display of abject fear in the company of threatening or domineering people. cowering before a bully

Examples of cower in a Sentence

They cowered at the sight of the gun. She was cowering in the closet. I cowered behind the door.

Recent Examples on the Web Or a person whose boss laughs just like his abusive father may cower around that boss even if that boss is kind and gentle. — Lori Gottlieb, The Atlantic, "Dear Therapist: The Pandemic Has Changed My Relationship With My Therapist," 4 May 2020 All will have stories of cowering in their flimsy houses while bombs fell, of the deadening existence of refugee camps, or of escapes through treacherous seas and perilous highways to uncertain lives in strange lands. — The New York Review of Books, "Charles Glass," 7 Feb. 2019 Fans ensnared in the melee cowered underneath their blue folding seats. — Laine Higgins, WSJ, "Kansas, Kansas State Players Suspended After Basketball Brawl," 22 Jan. 2020 Ironically, these are the very people talking about P.C. who can't stand the articulation of an unapologetic black voice that doesn't kowtow or cower to them. — Washington Post, "Jay-Z is ‘Robert Frost with a Brooklyn accent,’ a Georgetown professor writes in his new book," 2 Jan. 2020 The big takeaway The parade of the rats: As humans cower inside, humbled by the deadly coronavirus, rats (including this critter in a New York City storm drain) are foraging more boldly in search of food. — National Geographic, "THE BEST OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX," 9 Apr. 2020 Augustus was afraid of people, cowering when anyone came near. — Karina Bland, azcentral, "Shelters needed people to foster pets during the crisis. The response was miraculous," 31 Mar. 2020 As officers searched the campus, students cowered in classrooms. — New York Times, "Santa Clarita Gunman Dies as Investigators Struggle to Uncover Motive," 14 Nov. 2019 Abraham caused endless problems for the Wolves backline, using his pace and strength to bully the cowering defenders. — SI.com, "Wolves 2-5 Chelsea: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Tammy Abraham Runs Riot in Mad Molineux Encounter," 14 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cower.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.