(cows, cowing, cowed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A cow is a large female animal that is kept on farms for its milk. People sometimes refer to male and female animals of this species as cows.
Dad went out to milk the cows.
...a herd of cows.
N-COUNT
2.
Some female animals, including elephants and whales, are called cows.
...a cow elephant.
N-COUNT: oft N n
3.
If someone describes a woman as a cow, they dislike her and think that she is unpleasant or stupid. (INFORMAL, OFFENSIVE)
N-COUNT [disapproval]
4.
If someone is cowed, they are made afraid, or made to behave in a particular way because they have been frightened or badly treated. (FORMAL)
The government, far from being cowed by these threats, has vowed to continue its policy.
...cowing them into submission.
= intimidate
VERB: be V-ed, V n into n/-ing
• cowed
By this time she was so cowed by the beatings that she meekly obeyed.
ADJ: oft ADJ by n
5.