as in flinches
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
winced at the movie's graphic depiction of combat injuries
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of winces
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
3 June 2026
Duncan winces, then again attempts to change the subject.
—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
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
When the crowd begins hooting in response, Nanjiani winces.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk,
Vulture,
3 Dec. 2025
Lina winces at the sound of Jaya munching on an apple, made worse by the static on the line.
—
Hazlitt,
8 Oct. 2025
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
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
When the crowd begins hooting in response, Nanjiani winces.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk,
Vulture,
3 Dec. 2025
Lina winces at the sound of Jaya munching on an apple, made worse by the static on the line.
—
Hazlitt,
8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winces
Verb
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Advertisement Throughout the narrative, Johnson never flinches in his portrayal of the wreck, unleashing footage of investigators approaching the car and the victims’ families.
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DiVincenzo never flinches at adversity.
Noun
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And yet, the wry grimaces that followed said the quiet part out loud.
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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.
Verb
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Looking through scans from his first VIBE story from back in 2012, Rocky laughs at first, then immediately recoils.
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While JoAnne recoils from Duncan’s machinations, her son Orson finally bottoms out in the supplement pit of the manosphere.
Noun
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Numbers might be up, but frowns are also up.
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No smiles, no frowns, no fluctuations of body warmth.
Verb
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Payton cringes at the mention of a sophomore slump, that defenses will figure out Nix.
Noun
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One of the series’ most creative elements is the variety of scowls Graham deploys while arguing with Hezekiah, Mary, or his younger brother, Treacle (James Nelson-Joyce), a pragmatic family man who represents everything Sugar’s life could have been if he weren’t filled with so much self-loathing.
Noun
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So how, exactly, did these polka-dot pouts make their way onto the mood board?
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Soto’s Marie pouts and squeals with abandon.
Noun
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Be prepared for traffic snarls and multiple security checkpoints.
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Drivers should brace for traffic snarls this summer when South Elgin’s State Street bridge over the Fox River is reduced to one lane for road resurfacing work.
Cite this Entry
“Winces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winces. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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