cringe
verb
\ Ëkrinj
\
\
cringed;
cringing
Definition of cringe
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to recoil in distaste
Americans cringed ⊠at the use of a term now regarded as a slur— William Safire
2
: to shrink in fear or servility
The terrified animal cringed in the corner.
3
: to behave in an excessively humble or servile way
beggars cringing to tourists for money
4
: to draw in or contract one's muscles involuntarily (as from cold or pain)
⊠we cringe under the blasting wind ⊗ Charles S. Houston
cringe
nounDefinition of cringe (Entry 2 of 2)
: a cringing act
specifically
: a servile bow
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms for cringe
Synonyms: Verb
blench, flinch, quail, recoil, shrink, squinch, wince
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of cringe in a Sentence
Verb
Many English teachers cringe when their students use the word âain't.â I always cringe when I hear that song. Just the thought of eating broccoli makes me cringe. The dog cringed at the noise.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Even some fans have cringed at the more explicit moments. — Julie Turkewitz, New York Times, "Brazen Women. Scandalized Viewers. Itâs âSex and the City,â Senegal Style.," 22 Aug. 2019 RamĂrez cringed as a nurse injected her with the anesthetic before placing the implant. — Washington Post, "Venezuela crisis pushes women into âforced motherhoodâ," 21 Aug. 2019 Still, the rhetoric makes Republican donors cringe. — Tessa Berenson, Time, "'This Is a Distraction.' Republicans Worry Trump's Racist Comments Will Hurt Him in 2020," 30 July 2019 But anecdotally, during Bruce Leeâs showdown with Cliff Booth, audiences seem to either laugh along or cringe in their seats. — Jen Yamatostaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Bruce Leeâs family calls âOnce Upon a Timeâ âa mockery.â Is it insult or homage?," 31 July 2019 The British cringed over new American accents, coinages and vulgarisms. — Time, "Americans and Brits Have Been Fighting Over the English Language for Centuries. Hereâs How It Started," 11 June 2019 And for my good neighbors who are Republicans and cringe at many of President Trumpâs outbursts, their main concerns seem to be lower taxes, increasing military spending, stronger borders, education and less business regulation. — WSJ, "Donald Trump Is Not the Average American," 29 Oct. 2018 The trees cringed, stuffing their ears with leaves. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "The Wolves," 2 Apr. 2018 The other Today hosts cringed, but Siri just took it in stride, cracking jokes and prepping the meal. — Marie Milano, Country Living, "How Carson Daly and His Wife Siri Have Stuck Together in the Good Times and the Bad," 16 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The higher the late individualâs position in circles of power, the more cringe-worthy the tributes. — Harish C Menon, Quartz India, "By only praising the dead politician, you are being the worst kind of fake," 26 Aug. 2019 The Padres collected just one strikeout a third of the way through, despite the teamâs cringe-worthy pace of 9.71 per game. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Free-swinging Padres fend off strikeouts at right time to stop Red Sox," 25 Aug. 2019 Worst visual effect The quick, albeit cringe-worthy shot of Brownâs chapped and blistered feet. — Jon Becker, The Mercury News, "Handing out awards from Raidersâ opener on âHard Knocksâ," 8 Aug. 2019 The post garnered plenty of attention from Brownâs fellow working parents, who joined in the comments section to share their own similar, cringe-worthy stories. — Ashley Boucher, PEOPLE.com, "Mom Discovers Daughter Changed Her Contact Info to 'Poop Your Pants' After Unfortunate Work Email," 6 Aug. 2019 Yvonne Lyon has one of those chilling tales about a door-to-door scam that could make any loved one cringe. — Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, "Door-to-door thieves are using DNA tests to scam you," 15 Aug. 2019 To avoid the cringe factor that often comes from mixing two similar but slightly different colors, opt for a pair of shoes a hair darker than your outfitâa fire-engine red dress with pair of cherry-red heels, for example. — Leah Bourne, Glamour, "How to Match Your Shoes to Your Outfit and Not Look Old-Fashioned," 24 June 2019 The hulking shoes were made to look like a composite of other popular sneakers, bringing together soles, treads, and laces in a monstrous form that could make even Frankenstein cringe. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "Weâve Gotta Have It: The 17 Items that Defined Fashion in the 2010s," 18 July 2019 Those Kyrgios press conferences can be prickly, flippant, but often amusing affairs, too -- cringe-making for the traditionalists, box-office for others. — Ravi Ubha, CNN, "Larrikin or liability: Is Nick Kyrgios good for tennis?," 5 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cringe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for cringe
cringe
verb
English Language Learners Definition of cringe
: to feel disgust or embarrassment and often to show this feeling by a movement of your face or body
: to make a sudden movement from fear of being hit or hurt
See the full definition for cringe in the English Language Learners Dictionary
cringe
verb
\ Ëkrinj
\
\
cringed;
cringing
Kids Definition of cringe
1
: to shrink in fear : cower
⊠when you see a dog cringe ⊠You know somebody's been kicking at him.— Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Shiloh