as in to wince
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
there are some patients who flinch at the mere sight of a needle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in recoil
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 flinch
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2025
When confronted with this new, harsh reality, our state didn’t flinch.
—Wes Moore, Baltimore Sun, 12 Apr. 2025
Yes, there will be some wins, at least from an optics perspective, but especially with China neither Trump nor Xi wants to be the first to flinch.
—Chuck Jones, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The children The New York Times spoke to did not flinch at the mortal fact at the heart of the story: That of the more than 2,200 passengers on the Titanic, more than twice as many passengers died as those who survived.
—Janet Manley, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flinch
Verb
The assistant hitting coach flinched, but held his ground.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2025
When confronted with this new, harsh reality, our state didn’t flinch.
—Wes Moore, Baltimore Sun, 12 Apr. 2025
Yes, there will be some wins, at least from an optics perspective, but especially with China neither Trump nor Xi wants to be the first to flinch.
—Chuck Jones, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The children The New York Times spoke to did not flinch at the mortal fact at the heart of the story: That of the more than 2,200 passengers on the Titanic, more than twice as many passengers died as those who survived.
—Janet Manley, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flinch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flinch
Verb
-
Others lowered themselves from a ladder, wincing all the way.—
Julia Whelan Emma Kehlbeck Jeremy McLennan,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
-
As the trailer depicts, the shame of his past follows him into Thunderbolts*, with the character wincing over bad press about him in the newspaper.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
2 May 2025
Noun
-
Monday’s developments were greeted with grimace around town.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Monday’s developments were greeted with grimace around town.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Ukrainian approach negated recoil by putting two shotgun cartridges back-to-back and firing them together, for a zero net recoil.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
-
After what appears to be a slight recoil, Lauren walks away, looking relatively calm.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Over the past few years, generational warfare has only ramped up—so much so that it’s become boring to even reference: Gen Z hating on millennials for being cringe, millennials hating on Gen Z for being puritanical, and everyone hating on boomers for being, well, boomers.—
Daisy Jones,
Vogue,
3 May 2025
-
Even for some Republicans who would like to see more babies and larger families, the whole pro-natalist push is cringe in a bad way.—
Emily Brooks,
The Hill,
1 May 2025
Noun
-
Shuffling feet, frowns or darting eyes signal discomfort and anxiety.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes,
14 Jan. 2025
-
Below are some of the stocks JPMorgan frowns on: Vaccine maker Novavax is rated underweight by JPMorgan analysts.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
They’re made to live as subjects of revulsion by day and secret objects of desire by night, all while risking sudden turns toward brutality born from vulnerable self-loathing.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
15 May 2025
-
Racial attitudes among Dixon’s Disciples in the 1920s varied widely between a paternal tolerance of blacks (in tune with the founding beliefs of the church) to Ku Klux Klan-like racist revulsion that was widespread in its day.—
Richard D. Mahoney,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
That whoop-ass machine is played with a fierce scowl by MMA fighter Michelle Waterson.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Apr. 2025
-
In body and scowl, Paquita radiated like the Disney villain Ursula — a character also inspired by a drag queen, famed actor and performer Divine — but in spirit and heart was far from the sea-dwelling witch who stole an innocent mermaid’s voice.—
Alex Zaragoza,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Roxy doesn't take her eyes from the screen, and when Aishah turns the camera to show what's happening in the movie, Roxy can be heard making a noise somewhere between a growl and a whine.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Apr. 2025
-
The Republican panelist, 53, dramatically swooned into the back of her chair after Jordan, 38, chose to lean forward and give her his best vampiric growl while discussing the Prohibition-era vampire horror film on Monday.—
Emlyn Travis,
EW.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flinch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flinch. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share