Synonyms of the word

cringe

• n. A posture or gesture of shrinking or recoiling.
• n. (dialect) A crick.
• n. An embarrassing event, item or behaviour which causes an onlooker to cringe.
• v. (dated, intransitive) To bow or crouch in servility.
• v. (intransitive) To shrink, cower, tense or recoil, as in fear, disgust or embarrassment.
• v. (transitive, obsolete) To contract; to draw together; to cause to shrink or wrinkle; to distort.

bend

• v. (transitive) To cause (something) to change its shape into a curve, by physical force, chemical action,…
• v. (intransitive) To become curved.
• v. (transitive) To cause to change direction.
• v. (intransitive) To change direction.
• v. (intransitive) To be inclined; to direct itself.
• v. (intransitive, usually with "down") To stoop.
• v. (intransitive) To bow in prayer, or in token of submission.
• v. (transitive) To force to submit.
• v. (intransitive) To submit.
• v. (transitive) To apply to a task or purpose.
• v. (intransitive) To apply oneself to a task or purpose.
• v. (transitive) To adapt or interpret to for a purpose or beneficiary.
• v. (transitive, nautical) To tie, as in securing a line to a cleat; to shackle a chain to an anchor; make…
• v. (transitive, music) To smoothly change the pitch of a note.
• v. (intransitive, nautical) To swing the body when rowing.
• n. A curve.
• n. Any of the various knots which join the ends of two lines.
• n. (in the plural, medicine, diving, with the) A severe condition caused by excessively quick decompression,…
• n. (heraldry) One of the honourable ordinaries formed by two diagonal lines drawn from the dexter chief to…
• n. (obsolete) Turn; purpose; inclination; ends.
• n. In the leather trade, the best quality of sole leather; a butt.
• n. (mining) Hard, indurated clay; bind.
• n. (nautical, in the plural) The thickest and strongest planks in a ship's sides, more generally called wales,…
• n. (nautical, in the plural) The frames or ribs that form the ship's body from the keel to the top of the…
• n. (music) A glissando, or glide between one pitch and another.

cower

• v. (intransitive) To crouch or cringe, or to avoid or shy away from something, in fear.
• v. (obsolete, transitive) To cherish with care.

crawl

• v. (intransitive) To creep; to move slowly on hands and knees, or by dragging the body along the ground.
• v. (intransitive) To move forward slowly, with frequent stops.
• v. (intransitive) To act in a servile manner.
• v. (intransitive, with "with") See crawl with.
• v. (intransitive) To feel a swarming sensation.
• v. (intransitive) To swim using the crawl stroke.
• v. (transitive) To move over an area on hands and knees.
• v. (intransitive) To visit while becoming inebriated.
• v. (transitive) To visit files or web sites in order to index them for searching.
• n. The act of moving slowly on hands and knees etc, or with frequent stops.
• n. A rapid swimming stroke with alternate overarm strokes and a fluttering kick.
• n. (figuratively) A very slow pace.
• n. (television, film) A piece of horizontally scrolling text overlaid on the main image.
• n. A pen or enclosure of stakes and hurdles for holding fish.

creep

• v. (intransitive) To move slowly with the abdomen close to the ground.
• v. (intransitive) Of plants, to grow across a surface rather than upwards.
• v. (intransitive) To move slowly and quietly in a particular direction.
• v. (intransitive) To make small gradual changes, usually in a particular direction.
• v. To move in a stealthy or secret manner; to move imperceptibly or clandestinely; to steal in; to insinuate…
• v. To slip, or to become slightly displaced.
• v. To move or behave with servility or exaggerated humility; to fawn.
• v. To have a sensation as of insects creeping on the skin of the body; to crawl.
• v. To drag in deep water with creepers, as for recovering a submarine cable.
• n. The movement of something that creeps (like worms or snails).
• n. A relatively small gradual change, variation or deviation (from a planned value) in a measure.
• n. A slight displacement of an object: the slight movement of something.
• n. The gradual expansion or proliferation of something beyond its original goals or boundaries, considered…
• n. (publishing) In sewn books, the tendency of pages on the inside of a quire to stand out farther than those…
• n. (materials science) An increase in strain with time; the gradual flow or deformation of a material under…
• n. (geology) The imperceptible downslope movement of surface rock.
• n. (informal, pejorative) someone unpleasantly strange or eccentric.
• n. (informal, pejorative) A frightening and/or disconcerting person, especially one who gives the speaker…
• n. (agriculture) A barrier with small openings used to keep large animals out while allowing smaller animals…

fawn

• n. A young deer.
• n. A pale brown colour tinted with yellow, like that of a fawn.
• n. (obsolete) The young of an animal; a whelp.
• adj. Of the fawn colour.
• v. (intransitive) To give birth to a fawn.
• v. (intransitive) To exhibit affection or attempt to please.
• v. (intransitive) To seek favour by flattery and obsequious behaviour (with on or upon).
• v. (intransitive, of a dog) To wag its tail, to show devotion.

flex

• n. (uncountable) Flexibility, pliancy.
• n. (countable) The act of flexing.
• n. (uncountable, chiefly Britain) Any flexible insulated electrical wiring.
• n. (countable, geometry) A point of inflection.
• v. To bend something.
• v. To repeatedly bend one of one's joints.
• v. To move part of the body using one's muscles.
• v. To tighten the muscles for display of size or strength.

flinch

• n. A reflexive jerking away.
• v. To make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a (usually negative) stimulus; to cringe.
• v. To dodge (a question), to avoid an unpleasant task or duty.
• v. (games) (of the croquet game) To let the foot slip from a ball, when attempting to give a tight croquet.

funk

• n. (obsolete) Spark.
• n. (obsolete) Touchwood, punk, tinder.
• n. (countable) Mental depression.
• n. (uncountable) A state of fear or panic, especially cowardly.
• n. (countable) One who fears or panics; a coward.
• v. (transitive, intransitive) To shrink from, or avoid something because of fear.
• v. (transitive) To frighten; to cause to flinch.
• n. (countable) Foul or unpleasant smell, especially body odour.
• n. (uncountable) A style of music derived from 1960s soul music, with elements of rock and other styles,…
• v. (intransitive) To emit an offensive smell; to stink.
• v. (transitive) To envelop with an offensive smell or smoke.

grovel

• v. To be prone on the ground.
• v. To crawl.
• v. To abase oneself before another person.
• v. To be nice to someone or apologize in the hope of securing something.
• v. To take pleasure in mundane activities.

move

• v. (intransitive) To change place or posture; to stir; to go, in any manner, from one place or position to…
• v. (intransitive) To act; to take action; to stir; to begin to act.
• v. (intransitive) To change residence, for example from one house, town, or state, to another; to go and…
• v. (intransitive, chess, and other games) To change the place of a piece in accordance with the rules of…
• v. (transitive, ergative) To cause to change place or posture in any manner; to set in motion; to carry,…
• v. (transitive, chess) To transfer (a piece or man) from one space or position to another, according to the…
• v. (transitive) To excite to action by the presentation of motives; to rouse by representation, persuasion,…
• v. (transitive) To arouse the feelings or passions of; especially, to excite to tenderness or compassion,…
• v. (transitive, intransitive) To propose; to recommend; specifically, to propose formally for consideration…
• v. (transitive, obsolete) To mention; to raise (a question); to suggest (a course of action); to lodge (a…
• v. (transitive, obsolete) To incite, urge (someone to do something); to solicit (someone for or of an issue);…
• v. (transitive, obsolete) To apply to, as for aid.
• v. (law, transitive, intransitive) To request an action from the court.
• n. The act of moving; a movement.
• n. An act for the attainment of an object; a step in the execution of a plan or purpose.
• n. A formalized or practiced action used in athletics, dance, physical exercise, self-defense, hand-to-hand…
• n. The event of changing one's residence.
• n. A change in strategy.
• n. A transfer, a change from one employer to another.
• n. (board games) The act of moving a token on a gameboard from one position to another according to the rules…

quail

• v. (intransitive) To waste away; to fade, wither.
• v. (transitive, now rare) To frighten, daunt (someone).
• v. (intransitive) To lose heart or courage; to be daunted, fearful.
• v. (intransitive) Of courage, faith, etc.: to slacken, give way.
• n. Any of various small game birds of the genera Coturnix, Anurophasis or Perdicula in the Old World family…
• n. (uncountable) The meat from this bird eaten as food.
• n. (obsolete) A prostitute, so called because the quail was thought to be a very amorous bird.
• v. To curdle or coagulate, as milk does.

recoil

• n. A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking.
• n. The state or condition of having recoiled.
• n. (firearms) The energy transmitted back to the shooter from a firearm which has fired. Recoil is a function…
• v. (intransitive, now rare) To retreat before an opponent.
• v. (obsolete, intransitive) To retire, withdraw.
• v. To pull back, especially in disgust, horror or astonishment.
• v. (of a firearm) To kick back when fired.

shrink

• v. (transitive) To cause to become smaller.
• v. (intransitive) To become smaller; to contract.
• v. (intransitive) To cower or flinch.
• v. (transitive) To draw back; to withdraw.
• v. (intransitive, figuratively) To withdraw or retire, as from danger.
• v. (intransitive) To move back or away, especially because of fear or disgust.
• n. Shrinkage; contraction; recoil.
• n. (slang, sometimes pejorative) A psychiatrist or therapist; a head-shrinker.

squinch

• n. (architecture) A structure constructed between two adjacent walls to aid in the transition from a polygonal…
• v. to scrunch up (one's face).

wince

• n. A sudden movement or gesture of shrinking away.
• n. A reel used in dyeing, steeping, or washing cloth; a winch. It is placed over the division wall between…
• v. (intransitive) To flinch as if in pain or distress.
• v. (transitive) To wash (cloth), dip it in dye, etc., with the use of a wince.
• v. To kick or flounce when unsteady or impatient.