cower
verb /ˈkaʊə(r)/
/ˈkaʊər/
[intransitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they cower | /ˈkaʊə(r)/ /ˈkaʊər/ |
| he / she / it cowers | /ˈkaʊəz/ /ˈkaʊərz/ |
| past simple cowered | /ˈkaʊəd/ /ˈkaʊərd/ |
| past participle cowered | /ˈkaʊəd/ /ˈkaʊərd/ |
| -ing form cowering | /ˈkaʊərɪŋ/ /ˈkaʊərɪŋ/ |
- to bend low and/or move backwards because you are frightened
- A gun went off and people cowered behind walls and under tables.
- The dog whimpered and cowered at his feet.
Homophones coward | coweredcoward cowered/ˈkaʊəd//ˈkaʊərd/- coward noun
- He was both a bully and a coward, as bullies often are.
- cowered verb (past tense, past participle of cower)
- They boarded up the windows and cowered in the basement.
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsc2- Piper was cowering against the far wall.
- The children cowered in terror behind the closed door.
- cowering under the table
Word OriginMiddle English: from Middle Low German kūren ‘lie in wait’, of unknown ultimate origin.