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
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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
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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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But the Oscar-winning filmmaker recoils at being called a visionary.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
5 Jan. 2026
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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
Verb
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Bryan winces after weighing in at 597 lbs.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
9 Dec. 2025
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When the crowd begins hooting in response, Nanjiani winces.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
3 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Quails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quails. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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