cower
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cower
1250–1300; Middle English couren; cognate with Norwegian, Swedish kūra, Middle Low German kūren, German kauern
Explanation
To cower is to shrink in fear. Whether they live in the country or city, any mouse will cower when a huge, hungry cat approaches. When you cower, you're not just afraid. You're so terrified that your whole body cringes, crouches, and shrinks in on itself to hide from the source of your fear. Victims of a school bully might cower whenever he comes near, and a law-breaking peasant might cower when brought before a cruel king. Although a coward might cower in fear, the two words aren't related.
Vocabulary lists containing cower
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Of Mice and Men
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"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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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.
“Repression is inevitable when demanding justice, so we must not cower at it.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2026
Resident Andrew Sordyll says he often hears the "constant revving of loud, high-performance engines" over the TV at night that makes his dog "cower".
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2024
Because the court did not cower in the face of this resistance, our country continued forward on the path toward a more just and democratic society.
From Slate • Feb. 7, 2024
Ten 6-week-old piglets cower together in the corner of a gated pen spread with straw.
From Science Magazine • Dec. 7, 2023
“Do they yet cower under the tyranny of General Ffangg? Are they desperate to return to the days of my iron-pawed rule?”
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
