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to cow

to cow

17 8.3
To frighten someone so they do what you want
  • verb
  • /kaʊ/
translation icon : intimidar
  • For a moment, his face was transfigured with rage; then, somewhat cowed, he complied with her request.

As simple as that statement was, I was just cowed.

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Examples

  • The institutional church represented such authority that its members were usually cowed into submission before it.

    Academic text (1998)
  • We were sufficiently cowed by the thought of what Halmoneh could be saying.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The bully in him had tried to cow her, and she had not allowed it.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • And we still agreed, although I doubt that she was ever cowed into agreement by the force of my opinion.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Before every visit, Kate had to brace herself not to feel cowed in her presence.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Kane looked ashamed to be cowed by someone smaller than he was.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Soldiers hurl abuse; the people are too cowed to show support.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The townspeople, cowed into fear or in need of employment, didn't do anything.

  • "Well, it is," he muttered lamely, cowed by the look in her eyes.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The threats of violence were meant to cow the witnesses into silence.

Synonyms

to overawe
vsto cow
  • Formal
1 8.2

To make someone feel small or afraid by showing great power

uses plain intimidation to force submission rather than inspiring awe

Antonyms

104 4.3

Set someone free from prison or unfair control

Idioms

8 9.3

Get very upset or angry about something small

holy cow
  • Informal
8 7.6

A short phrase people say to show surprise or disbelief

don't be a cow
  • Offensive
9.9

To tell someone not to be difficult or mean

Compounds

mad cow disease
  • Specialized
18 3.8

A deadly disease of cows that damages the brain and can make people sick if they eat the meat

18 3.8

A business or product that gives steady high income with little work

sacred cow
  • Informal
6 6.5

A person, idea, or practice that people never criticize

5 1.5

A cow that is kept mainly to give milk

cow dung
  • NSFW
3 2.6

A solid waste that cows make and people use as fertilizer or fuel

3 2.0

A field of grass where cows eat

3 1.0

A cow kept to give milk for people to drink

3 7.3

A small town where people raise and sell cows

cow manure
  • NSFW
2 1.8

Dung from cows that people put on soil to help plants grow

cow pie
  • NSFW
2 8.2

A flat piece of cow poop left in a field

cow chip
  • NSFW
1 9.6

A flat dried piece of cow dung that people burn as fuel or throw in games

1 4.8

A large sea animal like a manatee that eats plants and moves slowly

1 1.2

A barn where cows are kept for shelter or milking

cow college
  • Offensive
1 9.1

A college that teaches farming and is often called low quality as an insult

1 8.8

A tall wild plant with thick stems and white or purple flower groups that can irritate your skin

1 1.6

A fenced area where farmers keep cows

1 7.5

A small, agile horse ridden to move cattle on a ranch

bell cow
  • Jargon
9.9

A person or thing that leads a group and shows the best example

cow brush
  • Specialized
5.5

A device with brushes that cows use to scratch and clean themselves

9.9

A small European annual plant with pale pink flowers that often grows as a weed in grain fields

9.1

A water plant with broad floating leaves and round yellow flowers that grows in quiet ponds

cow oak
  • US
9.4

A medium to large tree that grows in eastern United States with strong wood for baskets and chair seats

9.1

A tall plant with clusters of small white flowers that grows wild by roads and fields

8.1

A large shark with a broad head that has more than five gill slits

cow-nosed ray
  • Specialized
9.3

A large flat fish with a broad rounded head like a cow's nose

cow-orker
  • Informal
8.8

A way to call someone you work with as a joke

cow-tongue fern
  • Specialized
9.9

A fern with long flat pale green leaves that grows on trees or on the ground in warm places

9.9

A wild plant that grows in woods and meadows with small yellow flowers

ant cow
  • Specialized
9.9

A small insect that makes sweet drops for ants and ants protect it

milch cow
  • Archaic
6.3

A cow that a farmer keeps to give milk

moo-cow
  • Baby Talk
1.7

A child's word for a cow on a farm

spherical cow
  • Jargon
9.8

A very simple model that ignores real details to explain something, often as a joke

springing cow
  • Jargon
9.3

A cow close to giving birth

Steller's sea cow
  • Specialized
9.9

A very large extinct sea animal that lived near the Bering Sea

How Intimidating

to terrorize
  • NSFW
145 6.7
to cow
17 8.3
to bully
  • Offensive
68 3.8
to browbeat
9 8.1
to pressure
149 4.2

Surface Forms

cow infinitive
cowed past
cowed past participle
cowing present participle
cows third person singular

Etymology

Cow as a verb meaning 'to frighten' grew from the animal image: think of making someone behave like a tamed, quiet animal; that's why to 'cow' someone is to intimidate them into submission.