cower
/ˈkaʊə
/verb [no object]
Crouch down in fear: children cowered in terror as the shoot-out erupted...
- The courtier sat in the corner cowering in fear as a hooded figure with an axe stepped closer.
- He cowered in a hedge fearing she would return to run him over, the Feilding High Court was told.
- Now I am one of those parents, the one who makes the principal cower in fear as she walks through the door.
Synonyms
cringe, shrink, crouch, recoil, flinch, pull back, back away, draw back, shudder, shiver, tremble, shake, quake, grovel, blench, blanch, quail
Origin
Middle English: from Middle Low German kūren 'lie in wait', of unknown ultimate origin.