as in winces
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
the social worker tried not to recoil from the sight of the cockroach in the bathtub
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recoils
Verb
-
Snakes must move incredibly quickly to sink their fangs into prey before the victim flinches.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
23 Oct. 2025 -
Bingo momentarily flinches, and Atlas rolls onto his back in response.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 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
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
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Cite this Entry
“Recoils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recoils. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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