to cower at
1
7.2
- phrasal verb
- /ˈkaʊər æt/
:
encogerse ante
- There are also a few small rides and a huge lake you can paddle around in a pedal boat as your kids—or you—cower at the sight of wild monitor lizards swimming by.
- cower at my feet
Examples
-
The agents of fear, sin, and death do cower at the spear tip of prayer.
Blog text (19) -
Aramis, I do not intend to cower at all.
-
You think every white boy cowers at your ass?
Fiction book (1999) -
With my energy and your brains... the world will cower at our feet.
-
- You expect me to cower at the mercy of that pathetic little sword?
-
Gollum cowers at the end of his rope.
Fiction book (2002) -
It fell across Mont's back where he cowered at the foot of the throne.
Fiction book (1992) -
We can envisage situations, not just in the past (animals also have memory, as a dog which cowers at the sight of a stick) but also the future.
Blog text (33) -
We all have to come to that epiphany at some point—either cower at the notion of aging or embrace the fucker.
Blog text (13) -
The dog began to cower at the loud thunder, seeking shelter under the couch.
Synonyms
54
7.0
Act in a careful, nervous way because you fear being watched or followed
41
4.6
Avoid doing something because you feel afraid or unsure
41
6.1
To bend down or move back because you are afraid
34
2.3
Move back suddenly because of fear or pain
31
7.2
To move back suddenly because of fear or surprise
7
5.1
Avoid doing something difficult or unpleasant because you are afraid
2
6.8
To shrink back and crouch because you feel very afraid
1
4.7
Move away because you are afraid or disgusted
1
5.8
To move quickly and lightly away, often because something scares you
1
9.9
Feel afraid or nervous about something you may have to face
To avoid doing something because you do not want to try it
To become quiet and avoid people when feeling stressed or afraid
Antonyms
How Fearful
2
6.8
1
7.2
- Informal
1
4.7
19
4.9
71
4.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
cower + at
The verb 'cower' already denotes shrinking back in fear and the preposition 'at' simply marks the cause or target, so the combined meaning 'to shrink back in fear of something' is directly derivable from the constituents. This verb+preposition pattern is a standard, compositional construction found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Cower at comes from the simple image of a person or animal crouching low and pulling in their body to hide from something scary. So, cower at something means 'to shrink back in fear'.