The meaning of CRINGE is to recoil in distaste.

To cringe is also to pull back in fear from someone or something that seems powerful and dangerous:

CRINGE definition: to shrink back, bend, or crouch, especially in fear, pain, or servility; cower: They cringed and bowed before the king. See examples of cringe used in a sentence.

Dec 30, 2025 · cringe (countable and uncountable, plural cringes) (countable) A gesture or posture of cringing (recoiling or shrinking). He glanced with a cringe at the mess on his desk.

Definition of cringe verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Nov 25, 2025 · Discover what does cringe mean slang, its origins, how to use it, and hilarious ways it appears online. Your ultimate guide to navigating cringe moments!

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English cringe /krɪndʒ/ verb [intransitive] 1 to move away from someone or something because you are afraid A stray dog was cringing by the door.

cringe, n. & adj. meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary

If you cringe at something, you feel embarrassed or disgusted, and perhaps show this feeling in your expression or by making a slight movement. We all cringed when she started picking up …

cringe (krɪndʒ) vb (intr) 1. to shrink or flinch, esp in fear or servility 2. to behave in a servile or timid way