cower

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verb cow·er \ˈkau̇(-ə)r\

Definition of cower

intransitive verb
: to shrink away or crouch especially for shelter from something that menaces, domineers, or dismays They all cowered silently in their places, seeming to know in advance that some terrible thing was about to happen. — George Orwell

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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 of cower from the Web

Traffic police who once cowered at home for fear of assassination are stationed once again at intersections, wearing their summer white uniforms.

— frederic wehrey, The Atlantic, "'Whoever Controls Benghazi Controls Libya'", 1 July 2017
In Jurassic Park, when the dinosaurs escaped their pens, humans became frail prey, cowering in toilets, whispering prayers under trucks.

— simon parkin, Ars Technica, "Monster Hunter: World promises “deep, meaty experience on console”", 26 June 2017
But, as cats often are in new environments, Ruby was terrified and spent the first few days cowering in a corner.

— laura bruck, cleveland.com, "Ruby longs to fulfill her lap cat destiny", 11 June 2017
The violence unfolded near the home of Kathy Peterson, who heard screams and pounding at her front door and opened it to find a hysterical woman and three young girls cowering, one of the girls covered in blood.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, ""Little walking miracle:" Boy slowly healing after Utah shooting killed mom, brother", 9 June 2017
Khan had told Londoners that terrorists cannot be allowed to win, and that the city would not cower.

— anne gearan, Washington Post, "With May’s tumble, Trump’s European allies not faring well at the polls", 9 June 2017
SANDY, Utah (AP) — After hearing screams and pounding at her front door, Kathy Peterson found a hysterical woman and three young girls cowering, one of the girls covered in blood.

— lindsay whitehurst, The Seattle Times, "Police search for motive after Utah man kills woman, boy", 8 June 2017
On each side, fearful rodeo clowns cower, while on the backside a silly chicken flaps its wings.

— barbara henry, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Couple turns sand castle-making into a full-time job", 8 June 2017
This push favors docile coyotes — the kind that could coexist with dogwalkers on greenways — and is rooted in new federal research that compares cowering coyote behavior in rural habitat with extreme boldness among those in metro Denver.

— bruce finley, The Denver Post, "Bold, aggressive coyotes targeted as wildlife managers seek peace with people", 27 May 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of cower

Middle English couren, probably from Middle Low German kūren

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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