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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cow
Not since Roy Hodgson in 2010 had a Liverpool manager seemed so cowed by an obvious act of hostility.
—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
30 May 2026
Still, the stereotype of the Spirit customer was not of a traveller cowed by a need to be thrifty.
—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
The Kid Line of Marat Khusnutdinov, Fraser Minten and James Hagens drew raves from Sturm in the first two games up in Buffalo for its details and refusal to be cowed by the hostile environment in Buffalo.
—
Stephen Conroy,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Not everyone who does not cow to him has a low IQ.
—
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cow
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
30 May 2026
Still, the stereotype of the Spirit customer was not of a traveller cowed by a need to be thrifty.
—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
The Kid Line of Marat Khusnutdinov, Fraser Minten and James Hagens drew raves from Sturm in the first two games up in Buffalo for its details and refusal to be cowed by the hostile environment in Buffalo.
—
Stephen Conroy,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Not everyone who does not cow to him has a low IQ.
—
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cow
Verb
-
The parking at Krog Street Market can be intimidating, but there’s no need to try to navigate the valet or the small lot in the front of the market.
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The Oura Ring 4 has dropped to $399, cutting a cool $100 off the intimidating $499 list price.
Verb
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This was a rabid, partisan home-soil advantage that flat-out bullied the squad into surviving.
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They got bullied in that one, showing a tremendous lack of physicality.
Verb
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At the time of writing, as the Marine Traffic map shows, tanker traffic is barely moving through the Strait, and many ships, unable to obtain insurance or with their owners frightened at the level of risk involved, are refusing to advance.
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But because the president has frightened Congress, Congress doesn’t raise its voice when the president puts his Albert Speer–like building project, or intends to, on Congress’s land.
Verb
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There was one American flag sign lit, with some storefront decor gleaming red, white and blue, but the heat seemingly scared most away from celebrating July 4 before Saturday's big day.
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Johnson says Monday was her first time on the Wild Mouse attraction; however, the experience did not scare her away from the park.
Verb
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As aldermen badgered the buyer, seller and Johnson’s top lawyers during the no-vote hearing, some zeroed in on the mayor, accusing his team of being unnecessarily secretive.
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My dad continued to badger me to turn it back to the White Sox game, which was in the middle innings.
Verb
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The mobile phone alert startled many across the city-state of Dubai, the first such alert since the interim ceasefire.
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Lansley said she has been startled by how chatbots can appear to display emotional intelligence.
Cite this Entry
“Cow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cow. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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