cringe
verb (used without object)
to shrink back, bend, or crouch, especially in fear, pain, or servility; cower: They cringed and bowed before the king.
cringed
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past participleof cringe.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof cringe.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
cringeverb (used without object)to shrink back, bend, or crouch, especially in fear, pain, or servility; cower: They cringed and bowed before the king.
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.
Like almost every parent, I cringed whenever my child or another player headed the ball.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
As we showered afterward, I cringed when my hair came away in our hands.
From Slate ● May 23, 2026
The lead lawyer for Google "visibly cringed" when the specific share of ad revenue sent to Apple was revealed, according to Bloomberg.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2023
Sheehan and a few Meow Wolf companions cringed and laughed awkwardly, but they shouldn’t have felt surprised.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2023
The newsmen packed up their gear, relieving Molly, who had cringed at the thought of being photographed in her laden condition and having to brace up for a royal reception in Sweden.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
