recoil

verb re·coil \ ri-ˈkȯi(-ə)l \

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: recoil in a Sentence

Definition of recoil

recoiled; recoiling; recoils

intransitive verb

1 a : to fall back under pressure

b : to shrink back physically or emotionally

2 : to spring back to or as if to a starting point : rebound

3 obsolete : degenerate

See recoil defined for English-language learners

See recoil defined for kids

Examples of recoil in a Sentence

We recoiled in horror at the sight of his wounded arm.
He recoiled from her touch.
The rifle recoiled and bruised my shoulder.

Recent Examples of recoil from the Web

Many Democratic strategists recoiled at their party’s embrace of a proposal so radical in its branding, and ill-defined in its details.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Abolishing ICE Is About As Popular As Trump’s Immigration Agenda," 11 July 2018
That is, most of us, by default, recoil at the notion of self-harm.

— julia belluz, Vox, "How to help someone who might be at risk of suicide," 8 June 2018
While the deal succeeded in getting 97 percent of Iran’s nuclear material out of the country, Iran’s conservatives and its military recoiled at the idea of cooperating on any projects with the West.

— New York Times, "Behind Trump’s Termination of Iran Deal Is Risky Bet That U.S. Can ‘Break the Regime’," 8 May 2018
Now, King hopes that Trump realizes the conservative base will recoil at anything resembling amnesty.

— paul kane, Anchorage Daily News, "Congress' record on immigration is repeated failures," 24 June 2018
Now, King hopes that Trump realizes the conservative base will recoil at anything resembling amnesty.

— paul kane, chicagotribune.com, "Congress' record on immigration is repeated failures," 23 June 2018
When told what happened after his round, Aaron Baddeley recoiled and wrinkled his nose.

— marcus hayes, Philly.com, "Phil Mickelson should be gone but officials turn a blind eye at the U.S. Open | Marcus Hayes," 16 June 2018
Many of the Chinese companies stepped in after other sponsors recoiled from the tournament because of a sprawling global soccer corruption case that erupted in 2015.

— michael holtz, The Christian Science Monitor, "Soccer World Cup spurs Chinese sporting ambitions," 27 June 2018
Investors recoiled from a potential Eutelsat bid for Inmarsat on Monday, sending Eutelsat shares down 6.2 percent.

— thomas seal, Bloomberg.com, "Eutelsat Won't Bid for Inmarsat, Clearing Way for EchoStar," 26 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'recoil.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of recoil

Middle English reculen, recoilen, from Anglo-French reculer, recuiler, from re- + cul backside — more at culet

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

recoil Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of recoil

recoil, shrink, flinch, wince, blench, quail mean to draw back in fear or distaste. recoil implies a start or movement away through shock, fear, or disgust.

- recoiled at the suggestion of stealing

shrink suggests an instinctive recoil through sensitiveness, scrupulousness, or cowardice.

- shrank from the unpleasant truth

flinch implies a failure to endure pain or face something dangerous or frightening with resolution.

- faced her accusers without flinching

wince suggests a slight involuntary physical reaction (such as a start or recoiling).

- winced in pain

blench implies fainthearted flinching.

- stood their ground without blenching

quail suggests shrinking and cowering in fear.

- quailed before the apparition

recoil

noun re·coil \ ˈrē-ˌkȯi(-ə)l , ri-ˈkȯi(-ə)l \

Definition of recoil

1 : the act or action of recoiling; especially : the kickback of a gun upon firing

2 : reaction

the recoil from the rigors of Calvinism
—Edmund Wilson

See recoil defined for English-language learners

Examples of recoil in a Sentence

The gun has a sharp recoil.

Recent Examples of recoil from the Web

What happens when a drone has a recoil momentum equal to the momentum of a fireball?

— rhett allain, WIRED, "The Physics of Launching Fireworks From a Drone," 4 July 2018
When asked to explain his actions, the linebacker who crushed the quarterback, forcing him from the game with injuries to the back and knee, delivered an answer that made many recoil: his coaches told him to do it.

— ken belson, New York Times, "The Football Hit Felt All Over Japan," 22 May 2018
Related The firearms industry is marketing silencers, also known as suppressors, as hearing protection for shooters and a way to soften the recoil on guns.

— dan frosch, WSJ, "Why More Gun Owners Use Silencers," 5 May 2018
Overall, DAMA’s signal should be strongest for the very-lowest-energy recoils.

— natalie wolchover, WIRED, "Trouble Detected in Infamous Dark Matter Signal," 18 Apr. 2018
Those policy concerns are reinforcing the cultural and stylistic suburban recoil from Trump visible in both polls and the 2017 election results from Virginia to Alabama.

— ronald brownstein, CNN, "Small-town America has gotten an economic jolt under Trump," 20 Mar. 2018
Such bump-fire devices use the recoil of a semiautomatic firearm to rapidly pull the trigger, mimicking fully automatic firing.

— christal hayes, USA TODAY, "Ban bump stocks? Justice Department moves to make them illegal to own or sell," 10 Mar. 2018
This device involved a spring — basically, the recoil of the gun would compress the spring, and then the spring would push the gun back forward into the user’s trigger finger.

— aaron blake, Washington Post, "Trump is talking about doing something that might be illegal — again," 27 Feb. 2018
Miami Herald reporter Chuck Rabin tries out the simulator using a Glock pistol with a recoil kit designed to be used in simulators at the Miami-Dade police firearms training facility.

— charles rabin, miamiherald, "Even with years of training, stopping live shooter is incredibly hard, experts say | Miami Herald," 15 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of recoil

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

RECOIL Defined for English Language Learners

recoil

verb

Definition of recoil for English Language Learners

: to quickly move away from something that is shocking, frightening, or disgusting : to react to something with shock or fear
of a gun : to move back suddenly when fired