recoil
to draw back; start or shrink back, as in alarm, horror, or disgust.
to spring or fly back, as in consequence of force of impact or the force of the discharge, as a firearm.
to spring or come back; react (usually followed by on or upon): Plots frequently recoil upon the plotters.
Physics. (of an atom, a nucleus, or a particle) to undergo a change in momentum as a result either of a collision with an atom, a nucleus, or a particle or of the emission of a particle.
an act of recoiling.
the distance through which a weapon moves backward after discharging.
Origin of recoil
1synonym study For recoil
Other words for recoil
Other words from recoil
- re·coil·ing·ly, adverb
- non·re·coil, noun
Words that may be confused with recoil
- re-coil, recoil
How to use recoil in a sentence
But we recoiled against the idea that the only way to secure them was to work hard enough and long enough to own them.
As a teenager, I recoiled from this image of my father as a violent mess, and I began to build a better version in my own mind.
I leaned out of the window but recoiled with disgust, for the young man with the pasty face stood below in the churchyard.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show | Robert W. Chambers | February 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI called Tony to thank him, but instead of accepting the thanks he recoiled.
Anthony Lewis’s Cousin Remembers His Kindness to a Young Journalist | Sarah Wildman | March 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST"He did not say [the Jews], but I watched as the other senators physically recoiled, as did I," he said.
Egypt's President Morsi Warns: Beware the Jewish Controlled Media! | David Frum | January 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Dorothy again caught the furtive glance of the woman's evil eyes, and recoiled from it as if she had trodden upon a snake.
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieAt the sound Armand recoiled, as at an electric shock, and seized my hand with such force as to give me pain.
Camille (La Dame aux Camilias) | Alexandre Dumas, filsSeized with affright, the princess recoiled to where an ivory crucifix gleamed on a black velvet background.
Balsamo, The Magician | Alexander DumasBut he recoiled swiftly, and the arms came together ere falling folded on her bosom.
Balsamo, The Magician | Alexander DumasHe recoiled from either of these alternatives; and then suddenly, as he racked his brains, a wild idea flashed over him.
Love's Pilgrimage | Upton Sinclair
British Dictionary definitions for recoil
to jerk back, as from an impact or violent thrust
(often foll by from) to draw back in fear, horror, or disgust: to recoil from the sight of blood
(foll by on or upon) to go wrong, esp so as to hurt the perpetrator
(of a nucleus, atom, molecule, or elementary particle) to change momentum as a result of the emission of a photon or particle
the backward movement of a gun when fired
the distance moved
the motion acquired by a particle as a result of its emission of a photon or other particle
the act of recoiling
Origin of recoil
1Derived forms of recoil
- recoiler, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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