Cryptic crossword clue
Cringe, struggling to suppress a cry of pain, showing fear

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word COWERING

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
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The straight part
We know that "showing fear" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case showing fear = cowering.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does COWERING mean?

COWERING verb
  1. To crouch or cringe, or to avoid or shy away from something, in fear.
  2. To crouch in general.
  3. To cause to cower; to frighten into submission.
COWERING verb
  1. To cherish with care.

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