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
Our cities deserve leadership that fights for them in the face of anti-American policies, not one who cowers in the face of right-wing pressure.
—Melissa Mark-Viverito, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025
Though in just his second year in the league, Barry hardly cowered at the Cow Palace in the face of such famous competition.
—Daniel Brown, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
On Deal or No Deal Island, there are two kinds of people: those who want to take fate into their hands and face the banker and those who cower at the thought.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
Our fresh polling data from approximately 100 college and university presidents in attendance at the Yale Higher Education Leadership Summit last week reveals that higher education leaders are no longer cowering as their schools are wrongly exploited as scapegoats for political grandstanding.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cower
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Melissa Mark-Viverito, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025
Though in just his second year in the league, Barry hardly cowered at the Cow Palace in the face of such famous competition.
—Daniel Brown, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
On Deal or No Deal Island, there are two kinds of people: those who want to take fate into their hands and face the banker and those who cower at the thought.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
Our fresh polling data from approximately 100 college and university presidents in attendance at the Yale Higher Education Leadership Summit last week reveals that higher education leaders are no longer cowering as their schools are wrongly exploited as scapegoats for political grandstanding.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 4 Feb. 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 16 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cower
verb
cow·er
ˈkau̇(-ə)r
: to shrink away or crouch down (as from fear)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share