recoil
verb (used without object)
to draw back; start or shrink back, as in alarm, horror, or disgust.
recoiling
-
present participleof recoil.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
But he proves a skilled physical comic, tussling with his boots or recoiling from a kick in the shins from Lucky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2025
We’ll see if voters can reward this one while recoiling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2025
De Guzman, who also curated an art show called “Roots of Cool” about trees, noted that Los Angeles seems to actually shrink during the hotter months, as if recoiling from the sun.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2025
What I'm suggesting is that our mass recoiling at Sara Ramirez's Che Diaz on "And Just Like That…" may be misdirected.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2023
Collectively recoiling from the native population of the Americas, Europeans learned how to become a new version of themselves.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
