Quail At (Verb)
Meaning
Anticipate with dread or anxiety.
Classification
Verbs of feeling.
Examples
- The thought of public speaking made her quail at the idea of standing on stage in front of so many people.
- He started to quail at the prospect of meeting his strict new boss on the first day of work.
- The little boy began to quail at the sight of the doctor holding a large needle.
- She would quail at the sound of thunderstorms outside her window during the night.
- He would often quail at the thought of failing the exam, which meant giving up on his dreams.