cower

[ kou-er ]

/ ˈkaʊ ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cower ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to crouch, as in fear or shame.

Nearby words

Origin of cower

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

SYNONYMS FOR cower

cringe, recoil, flinch, quail.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cower ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formscow·er·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cowered

For over an hour a gun battle raged between them and my guards as I cowered inside my car, not knowing if I would live or die.
Will Fawzia Koofi Be Afghanistan's First Female President?|Fawzia Koofi|January 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Jane hung her head and cowered at this, for she felt as if it was particularly directed to her.
Uncle Tom's Cabin|Harriet Beecher Stowe
He cowered, with face averted, moaning like an animal in pain.
'Tween Snow and Fire|Bertram Mitford
His sister-in-law screamed faintly, then cowered in her chair and stared at him mutely.
The Power and the Glory|Grace MacGowan Cooke

He had heard the thunder of the torrent and the cataract, and had cowered under the mighty crash of the storm.
Kazan|James Oliver Curwood
"Be quiet," he said, in a low tone of such fury that she cowered beneath it.
Six Women|Victoria Cross

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

Word Origin and History for cowered

cower

c.1300, probably from Middle Low German *kuren "lie in wait" (Modern German kauern), or similar Scandinavian words meaning "to squat" and "to doze" (e.g. Old Norse kura, Danish, Norwegian kure, Swedish kura). Thus unrelated to coward. Related: Cowered; cowering.