Meaning of cringe in English

1. Pronunciation

   /krɪndʒ/

   US accent

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   UK accent

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1. Verb

   cringe

   Etymology

   Middle English crenge, crenche, related to Old Englishcringan, crincan ‘bend, yield, fall in battle’, of Germanic origin and related to Dutch krengen‘heel over’ and German krank‘sick’, also to crank

   Definitions

   1. draw back, as with fear or pain

   Examples

   • « she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf »
2. 2. show submission or fear