flinch
1 Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to draw back suddenly, as from pain, shock, etc; wince
he flinched as the cold water struck him
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(often foll by from) to avoid contact (with); shy away
he never flinched from his duty
noun
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the act or an instance of drawing back
-
a card game in which players build sequences
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of flinch
First recorded in 1555–65; perhaps nasalized variant of dial. flitch to flit, shift one's position
Explanation
To flinch is to react to pain by wincing, pulling away, or cringing. Often it's used to describe a person who shows a moment of weakness or fright: he was so tough, I thought he'd never flinch, but snakes really freak him out. To flinch is to pull away suddenly or recoil when something frightens or hurts you. People flinch at different things. Needles, for example, cause some people to flinch, while they're not even noticed by others. If you can withstand something awful without showing it, you're likely to hear someone say "Wow! You didn't even flinch!" Think of it as a combination of flee and pinch. If you don't flee when you get pinched, you don't flinch.
Vocabulary lists containing flinch
A Long Walk to Water
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Burke, who attended the court hearing wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, did not flinch when the pictures were shown.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Araki’s sensibility is, if anything, wiser now, though he’d probably flinch at the word.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
The line between TMI and TLI—too little information—can feel like playing the board game Operation: one tiny flinch in either direction and the buzzer goes off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
"He didn't flinch when the request came in."
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2026
This time, I didn’t flinch as we passed the soldiers.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
