as in flinched
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 recoiled
And when the Walmart collaboration arrived in 2007 — a full collection at twenty dollars and under — the industry recoiled once again.
—
Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The young Forster recoiled from the school’s culture of authoritarianism and militaristic chauvinism, which may have found expression in the students’ often appalling attitudes toward their own mothers.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Investors recoiled out of fears of an endless quagmire.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
When Paramount debuted a first look at the film in 2019, online commentators recoiled at the speedy hedgehog’s human teeth and odd facial features.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
Users recoiled immediately, forcing OpenAI to backtrack and restore the old models.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
In a flash, the Avs veteran flew right into a sprawling, helpless Ingram, who recoiled at the contact.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
After decades of being kissed up to by massive government support, our fossil fuel industries recoiled against President Joe Biden’s support to grow our clean energy sector.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters Software stocks on Thursday slid deeper into an ongoing intense sell-off this year as investors recoiled from the sector on growing fears that artificial intelligence could upend many firms' business models.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The young Forster recoiled from the school’s culture of authoritarianism and militaristic chauvinism, which may have found expression in the students’ often appalling attitudes toward their own mothers.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Investors recoiled out of fears of an endless quagmire.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
When Paramount debuted a first look at the film in 2019, online commentators recoiled at the speedy hedgehog’s human teeth and odd facial features.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
Users recoiled immediately, forcing OpenAI to backtrack and restore the old models.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
In a flash, the Avs veteran flew right into a sprawling, helpless Ingram, who recoiled at the contact.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
After decades of being kissed up to by massive government support, our fossil fuel industries recoiled against President Joe Biden’s support to grow our clean energy sector.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters Software stocks on Thursday slid deeper into an ongoing intense sell-off this year as investors recoiled from the sector on growing fears that artificial intelligence could upend many firms' business models.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recoiled
Verb
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The executive producer and star points to earlier moments in the season, like when Ruben flinched at the sight of his dad through his bedroom window.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
-
However, Wall Street hasn’t flinched.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Ohtani spun and winced but then strode straight to first base.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
-
Vanderbilt was in a ton of pain, and even the Thunder bench winced at Vanderbilt’s hand.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Mingione cringed when asked if any of his players had gotten hurt by a hit by pitch.—
Mitch Light,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
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For a decade, viewers have cringed at Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke’s rocky relationship, the dénouement of which is currently playing out on season ten of Summer House.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Recoiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recoiled. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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