A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My heart quailed at the idea of sharing a roof with her again, all of us swept up in the tornado vortex of her illness.
From Slate ● Mar. 14, 2022
Naturally Helberg quailed at the thought of taking on Jimmy Stewart’s iconic role?
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2018
Some of the starkest images of the extremism that gained ground in the 1930s as democracies quailed came from German artists themselves.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 4, 2017
No, wait: She quailed at confronting the Islamic State.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 27, 2016
I was feeling particularly responsible for this situation: First I’d repeatedly urged Jesse to consider going to college, then I’d quailed at his decision to pursue one of the toughest.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
