to cower
41
6.1
- verb
- /ˈkaʊər/
:
encogerse (de miedo)
- The cat cowered under the table when it heard the fireworks outside.
- cower in fear
So these people are cowering to Donald Trump before the election.
- So these people are cowering to Donald Trump before the election.
- You could cower or you could just double down.
- We do not cower to terrorist groups, ever.
- Find in summer, ghastly in winter when the three of us cowered under a heat reflecting sheet.
- That they hear gunfire at night before they put their children to bed and they cower in fear of what might what that might entail.
- Wow, Brown, oily skin, big eyes, scared, cowering, non threatening.
- The poem is the force in which to cower, hunching down by warehouses of power.
- And we're not going to be silent and cower because this man child does a little tweet and his little feelings are hurt.
Examples
-
Some soldiers, stunned by the horrors unfolding around them, simply give up and cower behind any cover they can find.
-
Cowering, fearful of every sound, of every footstep, like an animal at bay.
-
Do not cower in the face of danger!
-
Everybody says some people get down, some people cower, people scream.
-
And then we all looked at the dog, just just looked at the dog and the dog cowered and went behind.
-
Bob glares at them, too, while they cower behind their water glasses.
Fiction book (1993) -
"Get out of my life!" she cried, cowering, her arms covering her head.
Fiction book (1992) -
They cowered, submitting and giving them everything because they were too scared to fight.
-
A couple of derelicts are cowering behind a fire hydrant, trying to avoid getting run over.
Fiction book (1992) -
Her figure is contracted slightly, as if she is cowering, and indeed her widened eye seems fearful.
Academic text (1993)
Synonyms
159
1.6
Move away and keep a safe distance from something or someone for safety
117
1.7
To lower your head or body quickly to avoid being hit
34
2.3
Move back suddenly because of fear or pain
34
4.6
To hesitate and stay behind the group
31
7.2
To move back suddenly because of fear or surprise
16
6.7
To move quietly and carefully to avoid being seen
6
5.1
To pull back quickly because you are afraid or to show you give up
3
4.2
To lower your body quickly by bending your knees to avoid being seen or hit
2
6.8
To shrink back and crouch because you feel very afraid
1
7.2
To move back and make your body smaller because you are afraid of something
To become quiet and avoid people when feeling stressed or afraid
Antonyms
Phrasal Verbs
How Fearful
2
6.8
41
6.1
- Informal
1
4.7
1
5.9
19
4.9
71
4.1
Surface Forms
Etymology
Cower is easy to remember if you think of cover: imagine bending down to 'cover' or hide yourself when you are afraid. So, to cower is to crouch down or move back because you are scared.