cower
verb
cow·er
ˈkau̇(-ə)r 
cowered; cowering; cowers
: to shrink away or crouch especially for shelter from something that menaces, domineers, or dismays
They all cowered silently in their places, seeming to know in advance that some terrible thing was about to happen.—
George Orwell
George OrwellExamples of cower in a Sentence
They cowered at the sight of the gun.
She was cowering in the closet.
I cowered behind the door.
Recent Examples on the Web
When the container arrived in Oakdale, Minn., Xiao Mao was found cowering under pallets — remarkably alive but emaciated and severely dehydrated.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Lily, meanwhile, was found cowering beside the couch, with the guiltiest of expressions on her face.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
After all, Santos believes right-leaning voices shouldn’t cower just because their positions deviate from the Hollywood norm.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
Anyone living in one of the dozens of surrounding villages, such as Nazareth, who was not rounded up must have cowered in fear behind closed doors or hidden in the various underground cisterns and hewn chambers beneath the ancient houses and courtyards of the Jewish villages.
—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
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Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Lily, meanwhile, was found cowering beside the couch, with the guiltiest of expressions on her face.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
After all, Santos believes right-leaning voices shouldn’t cower just because their positions deviate from the Hollywood norm.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
Anyone living in one of the dozens of surrounding villages, such as Nazareth, who was not rounded up must have cowered in fear behind closed doors or hidden in the various underground cisterns and hewn chambers beneath the ancient houses and courtyards of the Jewish villages.
—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cower
Cite this Entry
“Cower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cower. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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cower
verb
cow·er
ˈkau̇(-ə)r
: to shrink away or crouch down (as from fear)
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