cowing

verb

present participle of cow
as in intimidating
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats a sharp glare cowed the child into being quiet

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of cowing What’s more, the blast would perhaps be visible on Earth, boosting morale at home and cowing our enemies abroad. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026 Instead of cowing Iran, the Israeli strike escalated the war. — Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowing
  1. intimidating
  2. bullying
  3. scaring
Verb
  • It’s long been intimidating for immigrants who suffered abuse to call 911, regardless of who was in the White House.
    — Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • And while cracking open an iPod will never not be intimidating, at least the Sprout doesn’t require any soldering.
    — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of intimidating
Verb
  • At least three employees supervised by Perera have filed bullying complaints with DIR’s Office of Equity and Risk.
    — Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Concerns over bullying on campus, as well as a lack of security, have also been raised.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of bullying
Verb
  • Such actions are scaring people away from coming to court, whether as witnesses, defendants or observers, Bonta said, and amount to a blatant abuse of power.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Longhorns aren't scaring anyone on offense and Sarkisian has come under fire for his play calling.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of scaring

Browse Nearby Words

cowhiding
cowing
cowinner
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowing. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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