cowed 1 of 2

cowed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of cow

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 cowed
Verb
Perhaps cowed by Concerned Parents’ aggression, the board voted in 1972 to remove from classrooms Mike Royko’s book Boss, an exposé of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Literary Hub, 25 June 2026 Instead, several of Kendall’s key allies are cowed by Logan’s intimidating presence — even Roman buckles under the pressure — and the media titan declares victory. Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026 Producers have been cowed internally after the show has been undermined by a media company that has consistently refused to stand up for it in public. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 June 2026 Not since Roy Hodgson in 2010 had a Liverpool manager seemed so cowed by an obvious act of hostility. Simon Hughes, New York Times, 30 May 2026 Still, the stereotype of the Spirit customer was not of a traveller cowed by a need to be thrifty. Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 9 May 2026 The Kid Line of Marat Khusnutdinov, Fraser Minten and James Hagens drew raves from Sturm in the first two games up in Buffalo for its details and refusal to be cowed by the hostile environment in Buffalo. Stephen Conroy, Hartford Courant, 24 Apr. 2026 Bruce Springsteen was standing up to the president, while universities and law firms were being cudgeled and cowed. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2026 We cannot be cowed into quiescence. Brian Kolp, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowed
Adjective
  • The biggest hurdle, though, is simply believing the Elle Woods who learns to prove her doubters wrong at 16 would be so intimidated when faced with doing it again at 22.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 June 2026
  • In traditional settings, people often feel rushed, intimidated, and unseen.
    Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026
Verb
  • They got bullied in that one, showing a tremendous lack of physicality.
    Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 30 June 2026
  • Because he was being completely bullied and demeaned and excused.
    Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
Adjective
  • Audiences who endured the Miramax era have been browbeaten to believe that the best picture Oscar should go to a period piece that chokes out a sob from audiences.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Not to the extent that the user is necessarily being browbeaten.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • At the time of writing, as the Marine Traffic map shows, tanker traffic is barely moving through the Strait, and many ships, unable to obtain insurance or with their owners frightened at the level of risk involved, are refusing to advance.
    Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • But because the president has frightened Congress, Congress doesn’t raise its voice when the president puts his Albert Speer–like building project, or intends to, on Congress’s land.
    David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026
Adjective
  • The Irish were the original oppressed people from the English Empire, and the original colony.
    Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026
  • The body pointed to the fact that Iran’s Farabi cinema body, which oversees the country’s submission, was directly controlled by the hardline Islamic Republic regime government, which in turn has suppressed freedom of speech and brutally oppressed filmmakers across its 47 years in power.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 May 2026
Adjective
  • Many have camped out along the edge of the piles of crushed concrete and rebar, awaiting any word of their relatives.
    Max Saltman, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
  • Garnish with more crushed red pepper and fresh oregano.
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 26 June 2026
Adjective
  • The series tracks the pair’s investment in Wrexham AFC, a once-downtrodden team in Wales that has since risen to the verge of a promotion to the Premier League, the highest tier of British pro soccer.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 30 June 2026
  • The Union’s Army of the Potomac, about 90,000 men, was looking downtrodden after the losses.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Cowed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowed. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

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