cowed

American

[koud] / kaʊd /

adjective

frightened by threats, violence, superior strength or ability, etc.; intimidated or overawed.

No, I’m not worried about going up against the chess champion—what do you take me for, an easily cowed novice?

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of cow.

Other Word Forms

uncowed

adjective

Etymology

Origin of cowed

First recorded in 1740–50; cow ² ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective; cow ² ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But O’Donnell has refused to be cowed by the president’s bullying for nearly 20 years.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

But feminists should not be cowed — and not just because this case, a version of which was already litigated in Carroll’s favor, is likely to crumble in court.

From Salon • May 29, 2026

But he insisted that he would not be cowed by antisemitism.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Of course some of us wept and raged when he once again had to flee some bigger monkey that he had clearly annoyed, but while Punch was certainly cowed, he was never broken.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

He turned on his heel from the Imperial Box, and strode toward the tigers where they stood huddled together, frightened, cowed.

From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023