cower (away) from (someone or something)
To move away from someone or something, usually out of fear. I cowered from the snake and prayed that it wouldn't see me. I cowered away from the window after I heard that loud bang outside. The child cowered from the teacher after he raised his hand in anger.
cower down
To crouch or otherwise make oneself smaller, usually out of fear. When I heard that loud bang, I immediately cowered down behind the door. The child cowered down when the teacher raised his hand in anger. All I could do was cower down in horror as I watched the explosion through my window.
cower down with (some emotion)
To crouch or otherwise make oneself smaller while feeling or exhibiting a particular emotion. When I heard that loud bang, I immediately got behind the door and cowered down with fear. The child cowered down with fright when the teacher raised his hand in anger. All I could do was cower down with horror as I watched the explosion through my window.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
cower (away) from someone or something
to pull away from someone or something in fear. The coyote cowered away from the fire.
cower down (from something)
and cower down (with something)to crouch down, displaying an emotion, such as fear. They cowered down with sheer terror. I would cower down from fright in a similar situation.
cower from something
to drawback from the fear of something. The wolves cowered from the flames. Some excited hyenas cowered from the lions as they passed by.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.