recoil
verb (used without object)
to draw back; start or shrink back, as in alarm, horror, or disgust.
recoiled
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past participleof recoil.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof recoil.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
recoilverb (used without object)to draw back; start or shrink back, as in alarm, horror, or disgust.
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.
With high inflation ravaging the economy, Greenspan recoiled when he learned Ford’s advisers planned a grassroots movement to encourage personal savings by passing out buttons that proclaimed, “Whip Inflation Now.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Amid the rebuke, brands have recoiled back within the antiseptic neutrality where they’re most comfortable: irrelevant celebrity cameos, cheap millennial nostalgia, unmoored wistfulness for simpler days.
From Slate ● Feb. 8, 2026
By that point, Layan had forgotten her completely, Omama says, and recoiled when they met.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025
He recoiled from me, and I couldn’t blame him; he had no idea where he was or who I was.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2025
I recoiled almost instantly at her tone more than her words.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
