1
as in flinches
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
we quailed when the waiter unexpectedly presented us with a hindquarter of frog's legs
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quails
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
Payton cringes at the mention of a sophomore slump, that defenses will figure out Nix.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In a video of the incident, Tricia lets out a loud scream and winces as the champagne drips from her hair, into her eyes and onto her face.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Lina winces at the sound of Jaya munching on an apple, made worse by the static on the line.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
8 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Quails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quails. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.
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