Meaning & use
quailing
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“quailing” is a form of “quail”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
The -ing form of quail: showing fear and drawing back or trembling because of a threat or an unpleasant prospect.
Grammar: No object; often followed by at, before or from: quailing at the sight of the dog.
Patterns
- quailing at something
- quailing before someone
- quailing from something
She stood quailing at the sight of the huge dog.
He was quailing before the angry crowd, unsure what to say.
The new recruits were quailing from the thought of the long march.
adjectivebefore a nounliterary
Showing visible fear or lack of courage in the face of danger or difficulty.
Grammar: Comes before a noun, as in a quailing student, and is rather literary.
Patterns
- a quailing something
The quailing witness avoided the lawyer's gaze.
A quailing voice answered from behind the door.
Common combinations
- quailing at the thought
- He was quailing at the thought of speaking in public.
- quailing before authority
- The clerk stood quailing before authority and mumbled an apology.
- quailing in fear
- The puppy sat quailing in fear during the thunderstorm.
- quailing under the gaze
- She felt herself quailing under the teacher's stern gaze.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cowering
- Cowering describes physically crouching in fear, while quailing is more about losing nerve internally and drawing back.
- flinching
- Flinching is a quick, involuntary movement, whereas quailing is a longer reaction of fear.
- shrinking
- Shrinking away is a visible movement, while quailing can describe a feeling more than an action.
- trembling
- Trembling describes shaking, which may come from cold or emotion, while quailing always implies fear.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: quailing or quail (bird)?
quailing vs quail (bird)
A quail is also a small game bird; the verb and noun share a spelling but are unrelated in meaning.
Practice
Which sentence uses quailing correctly?
Choose one answer.
Quailing here describes shrinking in fear and is followed by at. The other sentences confuse it with the bird or use it as an invented noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “quailing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.