cowered

past tense of cower
as in cringed
to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the abused dog always cowered in the presence of its master

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cowered Anyone living in one of the dozens of surrounding villages, such as Nazareth, who was not rounded up must have cowered in fear behind closed doors or hidden in the various underground cisterns and hewn chambers beneath the ancient houses and courtyards of the Jewish villages. Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025 In one incident, a predator, confirmed by a state biologist to have been a wolf, attacked an elk on the front steps of a home in Sierra County as the college-age son of the owner cowered inside, alone and afraid amid the growls and thumps that were shaking the front door. Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2025 But we’re not so easily cowered. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowered
Verb
  • During a hospital stay, Roy’s enfeebled mother fixates on the caste and religious affiliations of the doctors treating her—the sort of thing that will be familiar to anyone who has cringed at a diminished elder’s unfiltered prejudices.
    Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • But none of the band members ever flinched over the divide that formed over their pre- and post-Vheissu sound.
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
  • These images of an expanding Kong appeared on the screen and the actors on stage in front of it flinched in horror as the dwarfing image of Kong’s bigness loomed menacingly behind them.
    Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cowered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowered. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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