To suddenly spring or flinch back in fear, horror, or disgust
“He began to pull up his shirt and the children would recoil in horror at the sight of his scars.”
To retreat or withdraw from a (hostile) place or situation
“The hope, awakened by the dissentients from this enterprise among the Crusaders, that the bulk of the army would recoil from attacking the King of Hungary's dominions, broke the negotiation.”
Feel fear, horror, or disgust at the thought of something
“And still some people might react with disgust at the idea, recoil at the thought of it, or simply say that it's too strong a word.”
To physically jerk, especially in a backward motion
“The rifle recoiled as it fired, and the shell exploded about a foot short of the missile.”
To pull back, especially in disgust, horror or astonishment
“A dictated peace is not a true peace; punitive terms recoil on our own heads.”
To shy away from, or have misgivings about
To recur, or break out anew after a dormant period
To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously has or has planned to
Vibrate in sound
To move with a short, sudden movement
Act in response to something
Wander at random
Make twisting, squirming movements or contortions of the body
Become upset, excited
To move to face in another direction
The action of physically recoiling or jerking
“The recoil of an anti-tank rifle can cause significant damage to the bones and muscles in the arm.”
A sudden movement or gesture of shrinking away
“He awakened with a recoil when he felt the movement of the bed and realized that he was not alone in the room.”
A strong negative reaction by a large number of people, especially to a social or political development
A sense of disgust and loathing
The ability to spring back strongly, or the quality of being flexible
An act of repeating, or going back to, an earlier state or situation
An unintended consequence of an event or action, especially an unwelcome one
The act or state of eschewing or avoiding something
A sudden move or jump upwards or forwards
Related Words and Phrases
|