wince

play

verb \ ˈwin(t)s \

Definition of wince

winced; wincing

intransitive verb

:to shrink back involuntarily (as from pain) :flinch

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wince

noun

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Examples of wince in a Sentence

winced at the movie's graphic depiction of combat injuries

Recent Examples of wince from the Web

The Final President of the United States will visibly wince.

— jackson mchenry, The Cut, "Kara Walker Introduces Her Next Show With an Artist Statement About Being Fed Up With America and Artist Statements," 16 Aug. 2017
His Michael Myers-like reappearance wasn't the only reason the Reader staff winced.

— michael miner, Chicago Reader, "Media / News / Politics The new owner’s kid brother used to work here," 20 July 2017
The ankle sprain is a grimly common injury—the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society estimates that 25,000 people do it every day, a statistic that just caused me to audibly wince.

— jay willis, GQ, "Wearing Ankle Braces When You Hoop Will Change Your Life," 11 July 2017
Fitzgerald, 6-3 and 290 pounds, too, suffered a leg injury in the first half and had to wince off the pain at both guard and tackle – not his natural position.

— brandon folsom, Detroit Free Press, "Frankenmuth's Jared Davis wants to be next Jordan Kovacs at Michigan," 24 June 2017
And even those who can still quote from old Cosby routines will be hard-pressed to do so again without wincing at thoughts of the source and this comedy legend's tragic last act.

— brian lowry, CNN, "Bill Cosby: A big legacy, forever tarnished," 18 June 2017
Goffin reached out with his left hand to try to brace himself against a wall but crumpled to the ground, wincing and clutching at his ankle.

— howard fendrich, The Seattle Times, "Tripped by a tarp: French Open player stops with bad ankle," 2 June 2017
Upon reaching second base after a throwing error on his bunt, Nicolino removed his left batting glove and winced in pain.

— tim healey, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Marlins' Justin Nicolino OK after bunting mishap Tuesday," 31 May 2017
Next to her is a wincing Michel, who appears to be recoiling at the sound.

— brandon griggs, CNN, "Princess fires starter pistol, Prime Minister suffers hearing loss," 30 May 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of wince

Middle English wynsen to kick out, start, from Anglo-French *wincer, *guincer to shift direction, dodge, by-form of guenchir, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wenken, wankōn to totter — more at wench

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1748

See Words from the same year

wince Synonyms

Synonyms

blench, cringe, quail, recoil, shrink, squinch, flinch

Related Words

blanch, pale, whiten; quake, quiver, shake, shudder, tremble; crouch; jerk, start, twitch; recede, retire, retreat, withdraw; falter, hesitate, reel, waver

Near Antonyms

advance, approach, near; beard, challenge, confront, defy, face

Synonym Discussion of wince

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.