cower

Even if ambition results in a flop, it’s far more admirable to swing hard and strike out than it is to cower in the proverbial dugout.

From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026

He shared videos from street demonstrations, describing them as "in defence of the Homeland" and added: "Our people do not cower."

From BBC ● May 2, 2026

After 36 hours in our care, Bob still had not peed, pooped, eaten, or done much of anything beyond cower.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2025

I would cower in my room or the hallway, shoveling Froot Loops into my mouth until the apartment was no longer an office but our home again.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2024

If I’m scarred, then they’re war wounds, and I will not cower from them.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

When he pops “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” under the spotlight, a volunteer cowers in the chair while Garry leaps over it with impressive dexterity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

"He doesn't want to go for a walk when he has a muzzle on, he shivers and cowers down, it's horrible to see, but once he's up here he's like a new puppy again."

From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2024

Alison King, an artist in her mid-30s, cowers under a wet blanket on her bathroom floor as a “blazing fury” descends on Lake Bend, a fictional small town outside Melbourne.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2024

She cowers in tiny, dark places at every bang.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2023

Another crack of thunder, and Boomer leaps out of bed and cowers by the door.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

More than 30 dogs were crowded together on the stairs, while others climbed on the kitchen sides or cowered in corners.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

“Others might have cowered or taken time to regroup and figure out what they should do,” said Wald.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

He briefly cowered, before realizing it was a taped-up black cricket ball that soared up from the ground floor.

From Salon ● Dec. 15, 2022

During Hurricane Charley, he cowered with his landlord’s Rottweiler, Chopper, in the back of a junkyard pickup.

From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2022

Normally I would have cowered, but I was mad.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

They doubled back into the town and spent days cowering in a basement, while the Russians took over the area.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

"I'm not some little businessman who's going to run off. I'll see you in court," he told the cowering official.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

The distance between Americans and the people in other countries cowering as death rains down on them from the sky has always been vast both geographically and culturally.

From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2026

On Friday, Musk shared two side-by-side A.I.-generated images of graffiti-style stencils: a smiling, handsome Kirk, and a cowering, dying Zarutska.

From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2025

A swashbuckling adventurer wearing armor and a winged helmet stood with a glowing blue sword raised over his head, preparing to strike a troll cowering before him.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline