cringe

Word family

cringe /krɪndʒ/ verb [intransitiveI]

1 FRIGHTENEDto move away from someone or something because you are afraid 畏缩，退缩

A stray dog was cringing by the door.

一条流浪狗畏缩在门旁。

She cringed away from him.

她退缩着躲开他。

2 EMBARRASSEDto feel embarrassed by something you have said or done because you think it makes you seem silly 感到难堪 → wince

cringe at

She cringed at the sound of her own voice.

她听到自己的声音很不好意思。

It makes me cringe when I think how stupid I was.

我想到自己的愚蠢就感到尴尬。

Examples from the Corpus

cringe• His blunt personality leaves even his supporters cringing.• Also, she peppered her lectures with unscientific statements that made doctors cringe.• But they cringe at the idea that some one else may benefit at their expense.• My voice was calm, but inside I cringed away from her.• The pair cringed in embarrassment as the president, speaking through an interpreter, paid them the world's most unlikely compliment.• People cringed in terror as the shells hit the city around them.• During it all, nothing has made me cringe more than the sound of an approaching bike.• His watch said that it was nine-thirty, and he cringed to think of the time he had lost.