as in to intimidate
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats
a sharp glare cowed the child into being quiet
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Recent Examples of cow
School curriculums were sanitized; the press was cowed.
—
Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Glaser herself appeared somewhat cowed by her own brazenness — which turned out to be the setup for another bit.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026
The senator and Navy veteran isn’t likely to be cowed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s lawless attempt to silence him by seeking to demote him post-retirement.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Musk, who owns X, wants to promote the belief that the truth can be found on social media, and that the practitioners of real journalism are allegedly independent amateurs, such as Shirley, who can ask questions without being cowed by the woke agenda.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cow
Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Glaser herself appeared somewhat cowed by her own brazenness — which turned out to be the setup for another bit.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026
The senator and Navy veteran isn’t likely to be cowed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s lawless attempt to silence him by seeking to demote him post-retirement.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Musk, who owns X, wants to promote the belief that the truth can be found on social media, and that the practitioners of real journalism are allegedly independent amateurs, such as Shirley, who can ask questions without being cowed by the woke agenda.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cow
Verb
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The goal was to intimidate the family into not competing in the Beijing Games.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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The grand jury indictment charged Lemon and eight others with conspiracy against right of religious freedom at place of worship and another count of working to injure, intimidate or interfere with the exercise the right of religious freedom at a place of worship.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Rootselaar transitioned from male to female about six years ago and subsequently dropped out of school two years later, but McDonald said there is no evidence that Rootselaar dropped out due to bullying because of the transition.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Feb. 2026
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For more than a year, high-ranking staffers have resigned, often in public fashion, and accused him of bullying them and abusing his office’s authority.—
Ryan Oehrli
February 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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While 21 page-menus might frighten the coach of a position where speed and agility are crucial, these types of moments are exactly how Harris thinks his unit will mesh.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
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That habit didn’t endear the Alspaws to anyone nearby, including one neighbor who threatened to shoot Brittany after the Alspaws frightened his horses.—
Tessa Stuart,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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What happened Tuesday should scare away any of the remaining top prospects who would want to play for this berating blowhard.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Some cities in China have banned fireworks out of concerns over safety and air pollution, but the measures are controversial as firecrackers, traditionally used to scare off evil spirits, remain central to Lunar New Year celebrations.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But players – Seahawks, Patriots, and any others past and present – have been badgered by reporters all week about whether an electrical substation next to the 49ers’ practice field is sabotaging players’ health.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
7 Feb. 2026
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The future five-time Super Bowl MVP was with his family, sitting five rows from the top of the stadium, badgering his parents to buy him an oversized foam finger.—
Daniel Brown,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Amid a years-long decline in the bee population that has startled scientists, experts are now warning that a growing industry is hurting native habitats and potentially leading to further die-offs.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
20 Feb. 2026
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The project, which Steinberger has rebranded multiple times—evolving from Clawdbot to Moltbot and finally to OpenClaw—largely owing to politics—has expanded at a pace that startles even seasoned AI experts.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cow. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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