Library / English Dictionary

CRINGE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Draw back, as with fear or pain

Example:

she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf

Synonyms:

cringe; flinch; funk; quail; recoil; shrink; squinch; wince

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "cringe" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cringe"):

retract; shrink back (pull away from a source of disgust or fear)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 2

Meaning:

Show submission or fear

Synonyms:

cower; crawl; creep; cringe; fawn; grovel

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "cringe" is one way to...):

bend; flex (form a curve)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Credits

 Context examples: 

There was Baseek, a grizzled old fellow that in his younger days had but to uncover his fangs to send White Fang cringing and crouching to the right about.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

The unrest of the dogs had been increasing, and they stampeded, in a surge of sudden fear, to the near side of the fire, cringing and crawling about the legs of the men.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

He came cringing and crawling into the firelight.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

White Fang crawled slowly, cringing and grovelling in the abjectness of his abasement and submission.

(White Fang, by Jack London)