Cringe

  • 1Cringe — Cringe, v. t. To contract; to draw together; to cause to shrink or wrinkle; to distort. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Till like a boy you see him cringe his face, And whine aloud for mercy. Shak. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2Cringe — Cringe, n. Servile civility; fawning; a shrinking or bowing, as in fear or servility. With cringe and shrug, and bow obsequious. Cowper. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3Cringe — (kr[i^]nj), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Cringed} (kr[i^]njd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Cringing}.] [As. crincgan, cringan, crincan, to jield, fall; akin to E. crank.] To draw one s self together as in fear or servility; to bend or crouch with base humility; to… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 4cringe — [krındʒ] v [Date: 1200 1300; Origin: Perhaps from [i]Old English cringan to give up ] 1.) to move away from someone or something because you are afraid ▪ A stray dog was cringing by the door. ▪ She cringed away from him. 2.) to feel embarrassed… …

    Dictionary of contemporary English

  • 5cringe — cringe·ling; cringe; …

    English syllables

  • 6cringe — index truckle Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …

    Law dictionary

  • 7cringe — early 13c., from causative of O.E. cringan give way, fall (in battle), become bent, from P.Gmc. *krank bend, curl up (Cf. O.N. kringr, Du. kring, Ger. Kring circle, ring ). Related: Cringed; cringing. As a noun from 1590s …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 8cringe — cower, truckle, *fawn, toady Analogous words: *recoil, quail, flinch, blench, wince: bow, cave, *yield, submit, defer …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 9cringe — meaning ‘to shrink back in fear’, has inflected forms cringed, cringing …

    Modern English usage

  • 10cringe — [v] flinch, recoil from danger blench, cower, crawl, crouch, dodge, draw back, duck, eat dirt, grovel, kneel, quail, quiver, shrink, shy, start, stoop, tremble, wince; concepts 188,195 Ant. come forward …

    New thesaurus