quail

noun
UK: /kweɪl/
US: /kweɪl/

  1. A small, ground-nesting game bird.

    1. We saw a quail in the field today.
    2. The hunter's dog flushed a covey of quail from the tall grass, startling us.

Synonyms

cower shrink flinch recoil
quail intransitive-verb

  1. To feel or show fear or apprehension.

    1. He tends to quail when facing authority.
    2. The students did not quail before the challenging assignment given by their professor.

  2. To recoil or shrink back in fear.

    1. She did not quail at the sight of the snake.
    2. He watched the hero quail at the prospect of battling the fearsome dragon.
quail transitive-verb

  1. To suppress or subdue.

    1. The dictator tried to quail the rebellion.
    2. The king made an example of the rebels, hoping to quail any further uprising.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "quail" is /kweɪl/ in British English and /kweɪl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "quail": cower, shrink, flinch, recoil.

Example usage of "quail": "We saw a quail in the field today.". More examples on the page.