re-coil

[ree-koil]

verb (used with or without object)

to coil again.

Origin of re-coil

First recorded in 1860–65; re- + coil¹

Can be confusedre-coil recoil

recoil

[verb ri-koil; noun ree-koil, ri-koil]

verb (used without object)

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.

noun

an act of recoiling.

the distance through which a weapon moves backward after discharging.

Origin of recoil

1175–1225; Middle English recoilen, reculen (v.) < Old French reculer, equivalent to re- re- + -culer, verbal derivative of cul rump, buttocks; see culet

Related formsre·coil·ing·ly, adverbnon·re·coil, noun

Can be confusedre-coil recoil

Synonyms for recoil

1. withdraw, quail, flinch, falter. 2. rebound.

Synonym study

1. See wince¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for recoiled

blanch, hesitate, balk, waver, cringe, tremble, blink, shudder, demur, backfire, reel, wince, flinch, dodge, swerve, withdraw, jerk, falter, spring, rebound

Examples from the Web for recoiled

Contemporary Examples of recoiled

But we recoiled against the idea that the only way to secure them was to work hard enough and long enough to own them.
How Young People Are Destroying Liberty
James Poulos
October 11, 2014
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.
Dealing With Dad the Dealer
Tony Doukopil
April 9, 2014
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
I 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
But until very recently, even Western societies often recoiled when confronted with a powerful woman in a position of authority.
Why DSK's Wife Beat Out Christine Lagarde as France's Woman of the Year
Leslie Bennetts
December 21, 2011

Historical Examples of recoiled

Vaudemont recoiled before that gaze, and turned from the church.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
After that he recoiled from hurt because he knew that it was hurt.
White Fang
Jack London
Sigmund looked surprised, and recoiled a little; a shock clouding his eyes.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill
In astonishment at seeing me, Bersonin recoiled; Detchard jumped to his sword.
The Prisoner of Zenda
Anthony Hope
As Vere saw it, showing redly through the darkness, she recoiled.
A Spirit in Prison
Robert Hichens

British Dictionary definitions for recoiled

recoil

verb (rɪˈkɔɪl) (intr)

to jerk back, as from an impact or violent thrust

(often foll by from) to draw back in fear, horror, or disgustto 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

noun (rɪˈkɔɪl, ˈriːkɔɪl)

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

Derived Formsrecoiler, noun

Word Origin for recoil

C13: from Old French reculer, from re- + cul rump, from Latin cūlus

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

Word Origin and History for recoiled

recoil

c.1300, "retreat," from Old French recul "recoil, backward movement, retreat," from reculer (see recoil (v.)). Meaning "back-kick of a firearm" is from 1570s.

recoil

early 13c. (transitive) "force back, drive back," from Old French reculer "to go back, give way, recede, retreat" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *reculare, from Latin re- "back" (see re-) + culus "backside, bottom, fundament." Meaning "shrink back, retreat" is first recorded c.1300; and that of "spring back" (as a gun) in 1520s. Related: Recoiled; recoiling.