as in to flinch
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
winced at the movie's graphic depiction of combat injuries
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of wince
Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Aug. 2025
Bosch’s work could have made Sade wince.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Jesse Newell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Worthy was in immediate pain on the turf and could be seen on the Chiefs' sideline hanging his right shoulder down and wincing.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wince
Verb
The 66-year-old truck dispatcher based in Vancouver, Canada, trained five days a week, pushing his limits with weights that would make most gym-goers wince.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Aug. 2025
Bosch’s work could have made Sade wince.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
Sideline reporter Stacey Dales said on the YouTube broadcast that Worthy was wincing in pain and went to the X-ray room.
—Jesse Newell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Worthy was in immediate pain on the turf and could be seen on the Chiefs' sideline hanging his right shoulder down and wincing.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wince
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wince
Verb
-
Your stronger body will give you the confidence that comes from moving without flinching.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
-
These images of an expanding Kong appeared on the screen and the actors on stage in front of it flinched in horror as the dwarfing image of Kong’s bigness loomed menacingly behind them.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In an alarming sight for an already-banged-up inside linebacker room, Greenlaw pulled up with a grimace after covering J.K. Dobbins on an LB-RB one-on-one pass-coverage drill.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
31 July 2025
-
In one image, Scales, who had won a Military Cross for his bravery at the front, wears a crooked grimace that suggests recent anguish.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
13 July 2025
Verb
-
Videos recorded by witnesses at the Utah Valley University event showed Kirk being shot in the neck and bleeding heavily as his body recoiled.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Those not chronically online might instinctively recoil at the term brain rot, with its vaguely gory connotations, especially as concern about the potential harms of social media for adolescents mounts.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Firefighters batter Stephen Cullen stared up at Dullaghan from the plate with a frown on his face before giving the fan a thumbs down.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Luckily, life is going to improve in nearly every way going forward, so proceed with a smile rather than a frown.—
Kyle Thomas,
People.com,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
It's not cringe to care about something and try!—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Pub purists, meanwhile, are cringing.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Klára tries to keep him away but Berend, a sweaty, sour beast of a man who wears a permanent scowl, insistently shoves his way into the household.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Serve up in a stemmed glass, and garnish with a scowl, or perhaps a war story.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
And maybe, just maybe, a horseshoe-moustached, hardened rocker with a booming growl will quietly leave a grocery store tomorrow to take his mushroom mocha milk back home.—
Jason Newman,
Rolling Stone,
29 Aug. 2025
-
His first task: trying to figure out the source of the bizarre, threatening low growl picked up by the comms system.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In her trademark cat-eye glasses, with her bitter-lemon moue, Hoffman, as Moth, is comedy just standing there; Harada, as Mustardseed, a warmth machine.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
24 Oct. 2021
-
Not just any moue, either, but a supermoue—a whole cultural attitude distilled into a single boffff.—
Anthony Lane,
The New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Wince.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wince. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share