1. a small, short-tailed game bird

1. to lose courage or confidence; to cower in fear

Examples

• The hunter spotted a covey of quail in the tall grass.
• Quail are known for their distinctive calls at dawn.
• She served roasted quail at the fancy dinner party.
• The students began to quail when they saw the difficult exam.
• He didn’t quail in the face of criticism.
• The defendant seemed to quail under the prosecutor’s questioning.
• Even brave soldiers might quail at such a dangerous mission.