shies

verb

present tense third-person singular of shy
as in recoils

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shies
  1. recoils
  2. flinches
  3. winces
  4. shrinks
Verb
  • Something in the liberal heart recoils in the face of righteous ruthlessness.
    — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of 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
Definition of flinches
Verb
  • 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
Definition of winces
Verb
  • Once animal spirits subside, margin debt shrinks and stock prices are pressured downward.
    — Sean Conlon, CNBC, 15 July 2026
  • Horvath named those who are actors, set designers and make-up artists and others directly involved in production as being at risk, as content shrinks and prices for cable channels and movies rise.
    — Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 14 July 2026
Definition of shrinks
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.

Browse Nearby Words

shields
shies
shies (from or away from)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shies. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on shies

Nglish: Translation of shies for Spanish Speakers

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