1
2
as in distorts
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition
squinched up her eyes in disgust
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in flinches
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
didn't squinch a bit when the intruder pulled a knife on him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squinches
Verb
-
But then a heavy beat drops, and the figure crouches down into a duckwalk, moving across the walkway in a low bounce before springing up with the circling arm movements of voguing.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
11 May 2026 -
At the other end of the pitch, Robert Lewandowski crouches down on his haunches, eyes looking everywhere and nowhere, their nothingness saying everything.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mercury’s clash with Neptune distorts the reality of a situation.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
-
In this process, a sufficiently intense electromagnetic field distorts the atom’s potential barrier so strongly that an electron can effectively tunnel out through quantum mechanical effects.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
31 May 2026
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
-
And yet, the wry grimaces that followed said the quiet part out loud.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In the video, Claffey tries to move Ansell away from the subject and grimaces at the camera when his costar seems to say a little too much.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
Noun
-
Greg’s smile, contrasted with the frowns and thumbs-down from the rest of the crew, makes for an entertaining visual.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Those surrounding the bride stood up and began clapping, their frowns shifting to wide smiles.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Monk’s music contorts into an ecstatic dance, one more befitting of a ritual trance state than a night at the Five Spot.—
Levi Dayan,
Pitchfork,
11 May 2026
-
Bridges contorts his body, and jacks up an errant layup, but the play isn’t done there.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The burger contains two one-pound patties, 10 pieces of bacon, two layers of mushrooms (Beard winces at the thought of mushrooms), two layers of blue cheese crumbles and Swiss cheese, mayonnaise, tomato and lettuce.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Bryan winces after weighing in at 597 lbs.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
9 Dec. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Squinches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squinches. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
