flinch
1to draw back or shrink, as from what is dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant.
to shrink under pain; wince.
Croquet. to let the foot slip from the ball in the act of croqueting.
to draw back or withdraw from.
an act of flinching.
Origin of flinch
1Other words for flinch
Other words from flinch
- flincher, noun
- flinch·ing·ly, adverb
Words Nearby flinch
Other definitions for flinch (2 of 2)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use flinch in a sentence
I find it fascinating when friends scoff at a $300 price tag for a mattress that they will spend hundreds of hours sleeping on, but won’t flinch at thousands of dollars for a ski kit that will see dozens of hours of use in a good season.
If either of you flinches, then don’t count on another six months.
Carolyn Hax: A boyfriend avoids mentioning plans to travel with single female friend | Carolyn Hax | July 2, 2021 | Washington PostHe doesn’t flinch at questions about being identified as a key offender in one of the game’s most infamous cheating scandals during his former job as bench coach of the Houston Astros.
Alex Cora, leading Red Sox into a promising future, answers for his past in Houston | Chelsea Janes | May 31, 2021 | Washington PostShe leaned in and corrected the line of silver above Taylor Jo’s right eye, disturbed a little by the girl’s flinch.
How a rural Virginia town came together for an unforgettable pandemic prom | Hannah Natanson | May 7, 2021 | Washington PostNo plans or preparation would have gotten me ready for this kind of adversity, but like I told my wife, we can’t flinch.
Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez says he’ll have surgery to remove cancerous tumor | Matt Bonesteel | November 30, 2020 | Washington Post
In the video, Solange smacks and kicks her brother-in-law while Beyonce DOESN'T EVEN flinch.
Solange Smacks Jay Z, Legolas Slaps Bieber, and the Biggest Celebrity Feuds of the Year | Amy Zimmerman | December 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTKenyatta made a Bush-like vow to continue the war on Al-Shabab, saying, “We will not flinch.”
When I reminded him that that could mean hundreds of offspring showing up on his doorstep, he didn't flinch.
Today’s Sperm Donor Isn’t a Broke 20-Something | Stephanie Fairyington | September 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWe sat around all night in briefings discussing what each flinch and kick meant for its recovery and if we could save it in time.
We pressed here and watched it kick and then we pressed there and watched it flinch.
Her quiet eyes, held by his during the spell that had bound them speechless, did not flinch at the breaking of it.
Uncanny Tales | VariousFrom where he sat watching—curious to see what Cash would do—Bud saw him flinch and stiffen as a man does under pain.
Cabin Fever | B. M. BowerHe too must work; he must not trust altogether to Texas Smith; the scoundrel might flinch, or might fail.
Overland | John William De ForestTwo bullets went through the boy's hat; then a splinter cut through his clothes; still he did not flinch.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes | VariousTo tell you the truth, it was something terrible, but though I didn't like it I wouldn't flinch.
Napoleon's Young Neighbor | Helen Leah Reed
British Dictionary definitions for flinch (1 of 2)
/ (flɪntʃ) /
to draw back suddenly, as from pain, shock, etc; wince: he flinched as the cold water struck him
(often foll by from) to avoid contact (with); shy away: he never flinched from his duty
the act or an instance of drawing back
a card game in which players build sequences
Origin of flinch
1Derived forms of flinch
- flincher, noun
- flinchingly, adverb
British Dictionary definitions for flinch (2 of 2)
/ (flɪntʃ) /
a variant of flense
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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