flinch

¹ American  

[flinch] / flɪntʃ /

verb (used without object)

1. to draw back or shrink, as from what is dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant.

   Synonyms:

   blench, withdraw, recoil

2. to shrink under pain; wince.

3. Croquet. to let the foot slip from the ball in the act of croqueting.

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verb (used with object)

1. to draw back or withdraw from.

noun

1. an act of flinching.

flinch ² American  

[flinch] / flɪntʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. flense.

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flinch ¹ British  

/ flɪntʃ /

verb

1. to draw back suddenly, as from pain, shock, etc; wince

   he flinched as the cold water struck him

2. (often foll by from) to avoid contact (with); shy away

   he never flinched from his duty

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noun

1. the act or an instance of drawing back

2. a card game in which players build sequences

flinch ² British  

/ flɪntʃ /

verb

1. a variant of flense

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Other Word Forms

• flincher noun
• flinchingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of flinch

First recorded in 1555–65; perhaps nasalized variant of dial. flitch to flit, shift one's position

Example Sentences

Major Puff flapped his wings dramatically, causing Handsome to flinch and nearly fall over.

From Literature

I saw my old grandpa flinch—just about like I always did when a wasp dabbed his fiery little dagger in me.

From Literature

Bees crawled all over her head and arms and even her face, but she didn’t flinch, and soon they all flew away, back to their honey log.

From Literature

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

His Sonny, a Texas evangel with a devoted flock, is deeply flawed — to watch the way his wife flinches when he approaches her tells its own sad backstory.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• balk
• blanch
• blink
• cower
• cringe
• recoil