intimidate implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority into another.
intimidated by so many other bright freshmen
cow implies reduction to a state where the spirit is broken or all courage is lost.
not at all cowed by the odds against making it in show business
bulldoze implies an intimidating or an overcoming of resistance usually by urgings, demands, or threats.
bulldozed the city council into approving the plan
bully implies intimidation through threats, insults, or aggressive behavior.
bullied into giving up their lunch money
browbeat implies a cowing through arrogant, scornful, or contemptuous treatment.
browbeat the witness into a contradiction
Examples of cow in a Sentence
Noun
The cows need to be milked twice a day. Verb
I refuse to be cowed by their threats.
a sharp glare cowed the child into being quiet
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Noun
Waiver wire running backs Mike Washington, LV — Steps into bell-cow work if Ashton Jeanty is out.—
Jake Ciely,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2026 This year’s drought forced Lours to drop production of Salers on July 8 and switch to making Cantal, a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese similar in profile but subject to laxer rules.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2026
Verb
Jordan, who escapes relatively unscathed, is at once cowed and traumatized yet committed to vengeance.—Los Angeles Times,
1 Sep. 2026 What stood out was his confidence; Bouaddi was never cowed up against the experienced pairing of Bruno Guimaraes and Casemiro.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for cow
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English cou, from Old English cū; akin to Old High German kuo cow, Latin bos head of cattle, Greek bous, Sanskrit go
Verb
probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish kue to subdue
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
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