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
Jeff Ihaza, VIBE.com, 2 June 2026
While JoAnne recoils from Duncan’s machinations, her son Orson finally bottoms out in the supplement pit of the manosphere.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 17 May 2026
Anaia recoils from this request, but Racine is fully up for the mission.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 15 May 2026
Exhaling occurs when the diaphragm relaxes and the chest recoils.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
Looking through scans from his first VIBE story from back in 2012, Rocky laughs at first, then immediately recoils.
—Jeff Ihaza, VIBE.com, 2 June 2026
While JoAnne recoils from Duncan’s machinations, her son Orson finally bottoms out in the supplement pit of the manosphere.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 17 May 2026
Anaia recoils from this request, but Racine is fully up for the mission.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 15 May 2026
Exhaling occurs when the diaphragm relaxes and the chest recoils.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
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
-
Advertisement Throughout the narrative, Johnson never flinches in his portrayal of the wreck, unleashing footage of investigators approaching the car and the victims’ families.—
Jake King-Schreifels,
Time,
15 May 2026
-
DiVincenzo never flinches at adversity.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The deepest reason for this near-universal futility is that most of us remain imprisoned by the delusions of the ego, suffering from alternating cravings and revulsions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Verb
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The slot formerly occupied by Milli Vanilli will be taken by a dog whistle, being blown into the microphone very loudly so that everyone winces and covers their ears.—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
3 June 2026
-
Duncan winces, then again attempts to change the subject.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
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 Jun. 2026.
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