shying

verb

present participle of shy
as in flinching

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shying
  1. flinching
  2. recoiling
  3. wincing
  4. shrinking
Verb
  • In my experience, automation becomes commercially viable not when failures disappear, but when the system is built to handle them without flinching.
    — Shivansh Inamdar, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Amy Adams’ Anna Bowden — who has a complicated history with Max as his former lawyer — peeks through the curtain to spy on him, flinching as Max insists on snapping his own broken finger into place.
    — Benjamin VanHoose, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
Definition of flinching
Verb
  • But some lawmakers on Capitol Hill who would write the laws regulating the industry are recoiling at the suggestion of an antitrust carveout.
    — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
  • All of these features make for a wonderfully light-recoiling shotgun.
    — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of recoiling
Verb
  • Driver Danya Lloyd-Santiago says her wallet is wincing this Labor Day, while filling up her tank for her commute.
    — Darius Johnson, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • At various points in the match, Djokovic was seen vomiting and wincing in pain.
    — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of wincing
Verb
  • But Moody’s says the fiscal pressures from aging emerge long before populations actually start shrinking.
    — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Part of the reason for his town’s interest, Brule said, is the need to make up for shrinking tax revenues from Millstone, which experienced a decline in property values following deregulation.
    — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of shrinking
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

shy (from or away from)
shying
shying (from or away from)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shying. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of etiquette

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All