MEANING
To lose courage or shrink inward before something frightening or formidable.
Use it for
inward loss of courage; facing a formidable demandShow resolve weakening without requiring a bodily movement.
Words that belong together
- quail at the prospect
- quail before authority
- not quail
On the page
She quailed at the prospect of another night underground.
He did not quail before the committee’s hostile questions.
Even the veteran quailed when the second rope snapped.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- quail / quails
- Past tense
- quailed
- Past participle
- quailed
- Present participle
- quailing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- quail / quails
- Present continuous
- am/is/are quailing
- Present perfect
- have/has quailed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been quailing
- Past
- quailed
- Past continuous
- was/were quailing
- Past perfect
- had quailed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been quailing
- Future
- will quail / quails
- Future continuous
- will be quailing
- Future perfect
- will have quailed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been quailing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: fear. Literary; emphasizes failing nerve more than a visible startle. The bird noun is unrelated to this selected verb sense. Verb forms (base, third-person singular, past, past participle, -ing): quail, quails, quailed, quailed, quailing.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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