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
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
The citizenry has broadly recoiled; her killing, in addition to being a human tragedy, has been a public relations disaster for the administration.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
Generations of scientists, perhaps all with Great Aunt Mildreds who recoiled at the noise, have looked into whether cracking truly bad for our joints or overall health.
—Sarah Lindenfeld Hall, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
Football fans needed time to accommodate themselves to Patrick Mahomes’s sidearm throws, as did the baseball fans who at first recoiled from Hideo Nomo’s tornado windup.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 25 Dec. 2025
Both Fiennes and Fassbender delivered turns that critics deemed essential; both played characters so morally repugnant that voters may have recoiled from endorsing them.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025
Blazy, a Parisian born and bred, recoiled from the claim.
—Nathan Heller, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2025
Some recoiled at the launch and others quit their positions.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
Videos recorded by witnesses at the Utah Valley University event showed Kirk being shot in the neck and bleeding heavily as his body recoiled.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Yun Li, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
The citizenry has broadly recoiled; her killing, in addition to being a human tragedy, has been a public relations disaster for the administration.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
Generations of scientists, perhaps all with Great Aunt Mildreds who recoiled at the noise, have looked into whether cracking truly bad for our joints or overall health.
—Sarah Lindenfeld Hall, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
Football fans needed time to accommodate themselves to Patrick Mahomes’s sidearm throws, as did the baseball fans who at first recoiled from Hideo Nomo’s tornado windup.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 25 Dec. 2025
Both Fiennes and Fassbender delivered turns that critics deemed essential; both played characters so morally repugnant that voters may have recoiled from endorsing them.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025
Blazy, a Parisian born and bred, recoiled from the claim.
—Nathan Heller, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2025
Some recoiled at the launch and others quit their positions.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
Videos recorded by witnesses at the Utah Valley University event showed Kirk being shot in the neck and bleeding heavily as his body recoiled.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recoiled
Verb
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But as his show became a pop culture punchline and an enduring ratings force, Povich says the person closest to him never flinched.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
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Adi flinched but passed it to him.—
Jonathan Miles,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The issue became apparent at 4-4 in the third set, when Alcaraz winced after stretching for a volley and a match that had appeared a foregone conclusion spun on its axis.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
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The hard-drinking, hyper-sensitive Fitzgerald himself would have winced at any of the five adaptations of The Great Gatsby.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Host Jimmy Fallon visibly cringed in response.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
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You get cringed out when things are earnest or something, but then the music is a way to channel it.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
25 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Recoiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recoiled. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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