shied

verb

past tense of shy
as in flinched

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shied
  1. flinched
  2. recoiled
  3. winced
  4. shrank
Verb
  • The teen in the green sweatshirt, Williams, momentarily flinched from the gunshot.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • 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.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026
Definition of flinched
Verb
  • Even a few Republican loyalists have recoiled at the extravagant pageantry, seemingly designed to flatter Xi and awe a domestic audience, although the absence of TV cameras at the Rose Garden ceremony undermined that low-ambition objective.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The Colts bit on it, but Mahomes recoiled and looked over the middle of the field.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of recoiled
Verb
  • Ohtani, who hasn’t pitched since July 3 due to lingering knee and biceps issues, winced in pain throughout his eight-pitch at-bat against reliever Riley O’Brien, seeming to strain himself with every muscle flex, let alone big-league hacks.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • My husband walked into the room and winced as one of the women changed into a perfect re-creation of an American Girl–doll outfit (very theater kid, not his thing).
    — Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of winced
Verb
  • Officials hope to repopulate vulnerable species Giant pandas once roamed vast swaths of China, northern Myanmar and Vietnam, but their habitats shrank due to human encroachment and climate change.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
  • While the project’s overall footprint shrunk in size, Commissioners Chad Martin and John Shultz voted against the project.
    — Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of shrank
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.

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shibboleths
shied
shied (from or away from)
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Cite this Entry

“Shied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shied. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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