intimidate implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority into another.
intimidated by so many other bright freshmen
cow implies reduction to a state where the spirit is broken or all courage is lost.
not at all cowed by the odds against making it in show business
bulldoze implies an intimidating or an overcoming of resistance usually by urgings, demands, or threats.
bulldozed the city council into approving the plan
bully implies intimidation through threats, insults, or aggressive behavior.
bullied into giving up their lunch money
browbeat implies a cowing through arrogant, scornful, or contemptuous treatment.
browbeat the witness into a contradiction
Examples of cow in a Sentence
Noun
The cows need to be milked twice a day. Verb
I refuse to be cowed by their threats.
a sharp glare cowed the child into being quiet
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Noun
This was in the nineties, before real-estate investment trusts and private-equity firms had fully appreciated the cash-cow potential of housing people’s stuff, so there weren’t many similar facilities around.—
David Owen,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2026 As of 2025, her farm had five chickens, two cows, a pig, two cats and two dogs.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
13 Sep. 2026
Verb
What’s more, the blast would perhaps be visible on Earth, boosting morale at home and cowing our enemies abroad.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
17 Sep. 2026 Far from being cowed, the backlash spurred Curott to advocate for Wiccan and pagan rights.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cow
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Adjective
Middle English cou, from Old English cū; akin to Old High German kuo cow, Latin bos head of cattle, Greek bous, Sanskrit go
Verb
probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish kue to subdue
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
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