Definition of flinch
intransitive verb
: to withdraw or shrink from or as if from pain : wince He flinched when he was presented with the car repair bill.; also : to tense the muscles involuntarily in anticipation of discomfort I cannot help flinching when I hear the dentist's drill.
flinch
nounflincher
nounFrom the M-W Editors
Examples of flinch in a Sentence
He flinched when I tapped him on the shoulder.
She met danger without flinching.
The bill was much higher than expected, but he paid it without flinching.
Recent Examples of flinch from the Web
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Cheshire senior pitcher Abby Abramson didn't flinch.
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Those conservatives who flinch from supporting Trump come from differing strands of conservatism, ranging from paleoconservatives to libertarians to neo-conservatives.
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Most teams might have flinched at taking on such a heavy workload for the biggest race of the year, but the Andretti camp did not back down.
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When the bat left the hands of Miami Marlins hitter Adeiny Hechavarria and went hurtling toward the Mets dugout during the second inning of a spring training game, Guillorme didn’t flinch.
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A number of oil watchers believed Saudi Arabia was so committed to crushing U.S. shale producers and so financially strong that the leadership wouldn't flinch even if prices dropped to the single digits.
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In testimony on Monday, Officer Liang said he had been startled by a noise and flinched, inadvertently causing the gun to go off.
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July 12, 2015 Jeff flinched as a half-full box of Krispy Kremes smashed into the wall by his head.
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Jude walks with a limp, experiences sudden and unexplained seizures, and flinches when touched, but no one knows why.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flinch'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of flinch
Middle French flenchir to bend, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle High German lenken to bend, Old High German hlanca flank — more at lank
First Known Use: 1578
Synonym Discussion of flinch
FLINCH Defined for English Language Learners
flinch
playDefinition of flinch for English Language Learners
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: to move suddenly because you are afraid of being hit or hurt
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: to show fear : to hesitate from doing something unpleasant or dangerous
FLINCH Defined for Kids
flinch
playDefinition of flinch for Students
flinched
;flinching
: to draw back from or as if from pain or fear … Homily did not flinch as the great face came slowly closer. — Mary Norton, The Borrowers
Learn More about flinch
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See words that rhyme with flinch Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for flinch Spanish Central: Translation of flinch Nglish: Translation of flinch for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of flinch for Arabic speakers
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