definitions

cower

[ kou-er ]
/ ˈkaʊ ər /
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verb (used without object)

to crouch, as in fear or shame.

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RELATED WORDS

skulk, crouch, cringe, flinch, recoil, wince, tremble, fawn, kowtow, sneak, grovel, honey, blench, bootlick, toady, quail, shrink, truckle, apple-polish

Nearby words

cowboys and indians, cowcatcher, cowden's disease, cowdrey, cowell, cower, cowes, cowfeteria, cowfish, cowflop, cowgirl

Origin of cower

1250–1300; Middle English couren; cognate with Norwegian, Swedish kūra, Middle Low German kūren, German kauern

Related forms

cow·er·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cowered

British Dictionary definitions for cowered

cower

/ (ˈkaʊə) /

verb

(intr) to crouch or cringe, as in fear

Word Origin for cower

C13: from Middle Low German kūren to lie in wait; related to Swedish kura to lie in wait, Danish kure to squat
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012