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to cringe
01
to draw back involuntarily, often in response to fear, pain, embarrassment, or discomfort
Intransitive
Grammatical Information
Composition
Simple
Action verb
Regular
Present tense
cringe
3rd person singular
cringes
Present participle
cringing
Past simple
cringed
Past participle
cringed
Examples
The loud thunder made the dog cringe in fear and seek shelter.
02
to exhibit a submissive or fearful reaction, often bending to authority or intimidation
Intransitive
Examples
The bullied student would cringe in the presence of his tormentors.
Cringe
01
content, actions, or behavior that causes secondhand embarrassment or discomfort
Slang
Grammatical Information
Animacy status
Abstract
Composition
Compound
Uncountable
Plural form
cringes
What does "cringe" mean in slang?
The term "cringe" describes content, behavior, or actions that cause secondhand embarrassment or discomfort. The structure is a semantic extension of the literal verb "to cringe" (to recoil physically), used in slang to label something socially awkward, try-hard, or embarrassing to observe. It is informal internet slang commonly used to judge posts, behavior, or expressions perceived as awkward or overly forced.
Examples
That TikTok is pure cringe.
