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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in recoil
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of flinch
Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2025
But, when Wayne and Bryant’s names were called, neither flinched under the bright lights.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 6 June 2025
Chronic impacts of emotional abuse can include anxiety, depression, insomnia, binge drinking or substance abuse and muscle tension from flinching or tensing up, Patel says.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 16 May 2025
Udoka would’ve been another strong fit, but Houston never flinched.
—Kristian Winfield, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flinch
Noun
Given his winning streak, nobody would’ve flinched if Lamar framed his portion of the event as a celebration.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2025
But, when Wayne and Bryant’s names were called, neither flinched under the bright lights.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 6 June 2025
Chronic impacts of emotional abuse can include anxiety, depression, insomnia, binge drinking or substance abuse and muscle tension from flinching or tensing up, Patel says.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 16 May 2025
Udoka would’ve been another strong fit, but Houston never flinched.
—Kristian Winfield, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flinch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flinch
Verb
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As the prosecutor described the fatal injuries her daughter faced, Scarbrough bowed her head and winced.—
David Clarey,
jsonline.com,
3 July 2025
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Dakota Johnson is more charming than usual here but moves like someone whose feet have never touched the ground, who has never winced looking at a bill.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Throughout baseball history, such collisions have been met mostly with grimaces and shrugs.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
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Monday’s developments were greeted with grimace around town.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Each wave of skinny fixation has echoed like a cultural recoil — a shrinking aesthetic that emerges just as women expand their influence Advertisement But something is shifting.—
Anne Marie Chaker,
Time,
18 June 2025
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Thus, when leaders mimic empathetic phrases without genuine feeling, teams subconsciously recoil, cementing emotional barriers.—
Sahar Andrade,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Verb
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What is transgressive, indie and anti-woke today will one day be normie, derivative, and cringe.—
John McDermott,
Rolling Stone,
6 July 2025
-
Her post-Sisterhood career has featured roles in horror flicks (The Grudge 2), cringe comedies (The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret), medical dramas (House), and sitcoms (Two and a Half Men).—
EW.com,
EW.com,
28 June 2025
Noun
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Beantown frowns at each breaking news sounder on talk radio or ESPN insider post on social media.—
Bill Speros,
Boston Herald,
2 July 2025
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Jamie frowns and starts to twist a little on his barstool, turning to face the ocean — and away from me.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
People.com,
12 June 2025
Noun
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And the teenage provocateur made no secret of that revulsion, loudly belittling his fellow students.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 July 2025
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People celebrating this holiday weekend may have different ideas about what sparked the American Revolution: a yearning for liberty; a revulsion at taxation without representation; or a desire to have a national sport where players can touch the ball with their hands.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
5 July 2025
Noun
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Serve up in a stemmed glass, and garnish with a scowl, or perhaps a war story.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
11 July 2025
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Balthazar, played in a hipster fade and with a puppy-dog scowl by Jaeden Martell, is a New York rich kid with a life coach and a divorced mother (Jennifer Ehle) who’s too busy throwing political cocktail parties to pay him much attention.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
10 June 2025
Noun
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To keep pace, Hans Zimmer has concocted a visceral new growl that rattles our seats.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2025
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Keitel begins the scene with an intimidating growl and ends it in rueful melancholy.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flinch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flinch. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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