as in flinched
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
winced at the movie's graphic depiction of combat injuries
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Recent Examples of winced
Evans winced in pain, limped to the bench and did not even consider stopping there, making his way straight to the Canadiens’ dressing room and barely putting any weight on his right leg.
—
Arpon Basu, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
Even some on the right have winced at the politics.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
Russell winced, remembering the backlash.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Arpon Basu, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
Even some on the right have winced at the politics.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
Russell winced, remembering the backlash.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winced
Verb
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His comment shouldn’t be interpreted as a postgame shot at an overwhelmed Red Raiders offense and, everything considered, his vaunted defense’s performance hardly resembled a unit that flinched at the challenges.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Jan. 2026
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That said, the Pioneers haven’t flinched this season without him.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
29 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Generations of scientists, perhaps all with Great Aunt Mildreds who recoiled at the noise, have looked into whether cracking truly bad for our joints or overall health.—
Sarah Lindenfeld Hall,
Popular Science,
7 Jan. 2026
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Football fans needed time to accommodate themselves to Patrick Mahomes’s sidearm throws, as did the baseball fans who at first recoiled from Hideo Nomo’s tornado windup.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
25 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Host Jimmy Fallon visibly cringed in response.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
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You get cringed out when things are earnest or something, but then the music is a way to channel it.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
25 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Winced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winced. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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