as in intimidating
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 cowing
Instead of cowing Iran, the Israeli strike escalated the war.
—
Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowing
Verb
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General Daily Insight for March 27, 2026 Having fun can make intimidating schedules much easier to handle.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2026
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But those projects can be expensive to design and intimidating to apply for.—
Mark Dee
March 27,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Online platforms are generally not legally responsible for the content that their users post; Meta, for example, would not be liable for bullying comments or imagery for self-harm posted onto Facebook.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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Lendeborg had a highlight-reel dunk by bullying his way through two defenders and finishing his transition drive with a dunk to put Michigan up 66-57.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In a story translated from Korean, a ghost aches with loneliness after scaring everyone away; in a story translated from Arabic, a midwife is called to aid with the birth of … something.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
20 Mar. 2026
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Overbey was cautious, though, about not scaring parents.—
Emily Brindley
Health Reporter,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowing. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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