From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcringecringe /krɪndʒ/ verb [intransitive] 1 FRIGHTENEDto move away from someone or something because you are afraid A stray dog was cringing by the door. She cringed away from him.2 EMBARRASSEDto feel embarrassed by something you have said or done because you think it makes you seem silly → wincecringe at She cringed at the sound of her own voice. It makes me cringe when I think how stupid I was.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
cringe• His blunt personality leaves even his supporters cringing.• Also, she peppered her lectures with unscientific statements that made doctors cringe.• But they cringe at the idea that some one else may benefit at their expense.• My voice was calm, but inside I cringed away from her.• The pair cringed in embarrassment as the president, speaking through an interpreter, paid them the world's most unlikely compliment.• People cringed in terror as the shells hit the city around them.• During it all, nothing has made me cringe more than the sound of an approaching bike.• His watch said that it was nine-thirty, and he cringed to think of the time he had lost.makes ... cringe• Tender flesh the color of pearls makes her cringe.• It makes me cringe into the smelly upholstery of his battered armchair.Origin cringe (1200-1300) Perhaps from Old English cringan “to give up” 