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.
was cringing
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past progressiveof cringe.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
I was cringing at having to accept help from someone I’d been very rude to.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 23, 2023
“Everyone was cringing because Japan and China are rivals, and the Japanese and the Chinese are nervous about the president tilting too far towards the other side,” that person said.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2018
If he was cringing inside, no one could tell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2018
I was cringing the whole time because I knew what was to come.
From New York Times ● Jul. 10, 2016
Seema didi was cringing beside her, but Dimple couldn’t say if it was because of the projectile partially digested food or that encouraging wisdom about childbirth.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
