quail

1 to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust we quailed when the waiter unexpectedly presented us with a hindquarter of frog's legs Synonyms blench, cringe, flinch, recoil, shrink, squinch, winceRelated Words blanch, pale, whiten; quake, quiver, shake, shudder, tremble; crouch; jerk, start, twitch; recede, retire, retreat, withdraw; falter, hesitate, reel, waverNear Antonyms advance, approach, near; beard, challenge, confront, defy, face

2 to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission brave resisters who did not quail before the tyrant's iron hand Synonyms cringe, grovel, cowerRelated Words flinch, recoil, shrink, squinch; blanch, blench, whiten; fawn, kowtow, toady