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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of recoiled
Markets recoiled for a moment, then kept climbing, the Nasdaq tripling before the decade was out.
—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
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
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
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
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
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
-
Sipp slightly flinched his left arm before throwing a pitch to Emmanuel Burriss, allowing Miguel Tejada to score and sending San Francisco to its fourth straight win.
-
The kid never flinched, played almost every game.
Verb
-
After the ensuing pitch to Max Schuemann, Skubal again winced and began pacing at the back of the mound.
-
James stretched his neck and winced.
Verb
-
Mingione cringed when asked if any of his players had gotten hurt by a hit by pitch.
-
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.
Cite this Entry
“Recoiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recoiled. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
