as in flinches
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
the social worker tried not to recoil from the sight of the cockroach in the bathtub
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Recent Examples of recoils
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
At some point, each of us is faced with a clingy child, a dramatic friend, a partner who recoils at the first hint of intimacy, a volatile parent or a controlling boss — in short, a difficult relationship.
—Jessica A. Stern, The Conversation, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Verb
There’s a scene in which Frank meets his own idol, an alt-world version of Fred Astaire (played by Gyllenhaal’s brother Jake, who is good at mugging and singing), and vomits his fandom at him until the actor recoils.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
At some point, each of us is faced with a clingy child, a dramatic friend, a partner who recoils at the first hint of intimacy, a volatile parent or a controlling boss — in short, a difficult relationship.
—Jessica A. Stern, The Conversation, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recoils
Verb
-
Lubezki’s camera gets close to the action and never flinches, which underscores Iñarritu’s commitment to excessive mayhem at every turn.—
Eric Kohn,
IndieWire,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Cash flinches from this cascade of consequences.—
Gideon Leek,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
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
-
Payton cringes at the mention of a sophomore slump, that defenses will figure out Nix.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Recoils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recoils. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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