as in winces
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
there are some patients who flinch at the mere sight of a needle
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Recent Examples of flinches
Gideon Leek, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Sheinbaum quickly moves away and visibly flinches as the man attempts to put his arm around her.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Snakes must move incredibly quickly to sink their fangs into prey before the victim flinches.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 23 Oct. 2025
Months later, Anderson, 50, still avoids crowds, doesn’t go out after dark and flinches when the doorbell rings.
—USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
Cash flinches from this cascade of consequences.
—Gideon Leek, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Sheinbaum quickly moves away and visibly flinches as the man attempts to put his arm around her.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Snakes must move incredibly quickly to sink their fangs into prey before the victim flinches.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 23 Oct. 2025
Months later, Anderson, 50, still avoids crowds, doesn’t go out after dark and flinches when the doorbell rings.
—USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flinches
Verb
-
Bryan winces after weighing in at 597 lbs.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
9 Dec. 2025
-
When the crowd begins hooting in response, Nanjiani winces.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
3 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
But the Oscar-winning filmmaker recoils at being called a visionary.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Some former students, including Mamdani, who signed up for Kagan’s 12th-grade AP World History class, have referred to themselves as Kaganites, a term Kagan literally recoils from.—
The Editors,
Curbed,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Those surrounding the bride stood up and began clapping, their frowns shifting to wide smiles.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
-
If only humans kept their expressions to cartoonishly clear frowns and smiles.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Payton cringes at the mention of a sophomore slump, that defenses will figure out Nix.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
One of the series’ most creative elements is the variety of scowls Graham deploys while arguing with Hezekiah, Mary, or his younger brother, Treacle (James Nelson-Joyce), a pragmatic family man who represents everything Sugar’s life could have been if he weren’t filled with so much self-loathing.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The squalane superstar makes pouts smoother, shinier, and plumper over time, which are all desirable adjectives in context of being as camera-ready as ever.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
And now, Mikayla is grumpy, and Jace pouts on a hay bale.—
Olivia Crandall,
Vulture,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Garage cabinets are very similar to kitchen cabinets as there are uppers and lowers or units with several tall cabinets in a row.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
1 Jan. 2026
-
When the Fed cuts rates, the prime rate lowers, too, and the interest rate on that credit card debt is likely to follow within a billing cycle or two.—
Jessica Dickler,
CNBC,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flinches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flinches. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
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