Cower for Dummies

Cower is a word that describes how someone might react when they feel scared or threatened. Imagine a little kitten who has never seen a dog before. When the kitten sees the big, barking dog, it might feel really scared. What do you think the kitten would do? Well, it might shrink back, lower its body, and try to make itself as small as possible. This is kind of like what "cower" means. It's like when we are feeling really frightened, we might hunch our shoulders, bend our knees, and try to make ourselves as small and inconspicuous as we can. It's sort of like our body's way of trying to protect itself.

When we cower, we might also feel a tight fluttering in our tummies. It's like there are butterflies in there, trying to fly away. And maybe our heart starts to race, like it's trying to escape from our chests. It's often a physical response to feeling really, really afraid.

There's another way we can think about cowering. Imagine you and your friends are playing a game of tag. You're all having fun, running around and chasing each other. Suddenly, a really loud, sudden noise hits your ears. It startles you, and you instinctively turn away, close your eyes, and cover your ears. This is another example of cowering. It's like you're trying to protect yourself from the loud sound, by blocking it out and hoping it will go away.

So, all in all, cower means to shrink back, lower your body, and make yourself small out of fear or to protect yourself from something scary. It can also be a response to a sudden, loud noise, where you try to turn away, close your eyes, or cover your ears to protect yourself.