cower

verb

cow·​er ˈkau̇(-ə)r 

cowered; cowering; cowers

intransitive verb

: to shrink away or crouch especially for shelter from something that menaces, domineers, or dismays

They all cowered silently in their places, seeming to know in advance that some terrible thing was about to happen.

—George Orwell

Synonyms

• cringe
• grovel
• quail

Choose the Right Synonym for cower

fawn, toady, truckle, cringe, cower mean to behave abjectly before a superior.

fawn implies seeking favor by servile flattery or exaggerated attention.

waiters fawning over a celebrity

toady suggests the attempt to ingratiate oneself by an abjectly menial or subservient attitude.

toadying to his boss

truckle implies the subordination of oneself and one's desires or judgment to those of a superior.

truckling to a powerful lobbyist

cringe suggests a bowing or shrinking in fear or servility.

a cringing sycophant

cower suggests a display of abject fear in the company of threatening or domineering people.

cowering before a bully

Examples of cower in a Sentence

They cowered at the sight of the gun.

She was cowering in the closet.

I cowered behind the door.

Recent Examples on the Web

Boards and management teams generally cower at the thought of an activist. —Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 7 Dec. 2024

Fearing that the gunman was on the train, commuters were told to cower onto the floor as police searched each subway car. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 8 Nov. 2024

Her refusal to hold the trial in private meant that the men accused of raping her haven’t been able to cower behind closed doors, protected from public view. —Claire Cohen, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English couren, probably from Middle Low German kūren

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cower

verb

cow·​er ˈkau̇(-ə)r 

: to shrink away or crouch down (as from fear)