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Recent Examples of cowering
Phil Elliott, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
The homeless man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in a Manhattan apartment building was found cowering in a closet in upstate New York when cops zeroed in on his location, prosecutors said Thursday.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
In some sense, there’s a palpable disgust that this community has responded not by cowering, not by submitting, not by being grateful for this sort of armed invasion that is meant to stress everyone out, but by trying to foil it.
—Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2026
Goetz saw two female passengers on the ground, paralyzed and cowering in fear.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
Look to your right, where another patron, clad in the skin of a lion, will be cowering under his seat.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The kids were heard cowering in fear.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 2025
The Spruce Pets explains that socially anxious dogs might display timid behaviour such as pulling away, cowering, trembling or looking confused when approached by unfamiliar dogs.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
The staff member can be seen cowering down to fend off the attack and then turns and squares up to the irate passenger, who’s wearing a green colored top and army green pants.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 29 Nov. 2024
Verb
His crackdown has more than a few similarities with a military invasion of some cities, his roundups have left immigrant communities cowering and their neighbors defiant.
—Phil Elliott, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
The homeless man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in a Manhattan apartment building was found cowering in a closet in upstate New York when cops zeroed in on his location, prosecutors said Thursday.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
In some sense, there’s a palpable disgust that this community has responded not by cowering, not by submitting, not by being grateful for this sort of armed invasion that is meant to stress everyone out, but by trying to foil it.
—Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2026
Goetz saw two female passengers on the ground, paralyzed and cowering in fear.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
Look to your right, where another patron, clad in the skin of a lion, will be cowering under his seat.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The kids were heard cowering in fear.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 2025
The Spruce Pets explains that socially anxious dogs might display timid behaviour such as pulling away, cowering, trembling or looking confused when approached by unfamiliar dogs.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
The staff member can be seen cowering down to fend off the attack and then turns and squares up to the irate passenger, who’s wearing a green colored top and army green pants.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 29 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowering
Adjective
-
Re-wash and dry the garment, using these tips to avoid re-shrinking, to prevent a residue from the conditioner from setting.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In it, her fellow students can be seen gasping, covering their faces and cringing.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
30 Nov. 2025
-
Encouraged to see Jones sorta respond, Mackie kept babbling on and on and on about his dad, unaware that everyone else in the room was cringing.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Its subtitle, about awakening and survival, underlines Mrie’s trajectory from submissive daughter to political actor and skilled observer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
My bud Patrick Ryan talked with the stars about how the movie cheekily explores the power dynamics of submissive and dominant relationships, plus got the scoop on the idiosyncrasies of acting in the buff.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Many critics are now calling out CBS for flinching rather than forcefully standing up to politically motivated intimidation.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
-
And Bobby’s just not flinching.—
Alison Weinflash,
Rolling Stone,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That amendment had been made a dead letter by Jim Crow state legislatures and an acquiescent Supreme Court.—
Robert D. Bland,
The Conversation,
3 Feb. 2026
-
As the right rises, Trump puts enemies on notice The Trump administration’s attack on Venezuela extends its broader crusade to assemble a column of allied — or at least acquiescent — governments in Latin America, sailing with the political winds blowing in much of the region.—
Megan Janetsky,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This film, so seemingly unassertive, apparently rambling and plotless, has a devastating impact and aftershock.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Accommodating, which is unassertive and cooperative, prioritizes the needs and preferences of others over one’s own in order to maintain harmony.—
Ellen Choi,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Bonta’s office first sued Huntington Beach in 2023 for violating state law by refusing to submit a compliant housing element, which maps out where and how new housing — including affordable housing — can be built.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
24 Feb. 2026
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The Pixel 10 has a smaller 4,970mAh battery that charges at up to 30W via wire and 15W wirelessly using Qi2-compliant chargers.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Neither is the machine that, partway through the play, noisily turns the stage into a great berg of foam, which slowly subsumes a resigned Kramer.—
Talya Zax,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The album’s 20 songs are the resigned and rueful sound of him making amends with his obscurity, and his larger place in the universe.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cowering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowering. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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