cringe before (someone or something)

cringe before (someone or something)

To shrink away from someone or something, usually out of fear. I cringed before my dad when he caught me sneaking in after curfew.

See also: before, cringe

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

cringe before someone or something

to cower or recoil in the presence of someone or something. Jeff cringed before the wrath of the policeman.

See also: before, cringe

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.