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.

He said: "I said what I said back in February, I am not recoiling from that."

From BBC • May 10, 2026

Americans are recoiling at rising restaurant and coffee prices and eating out less, making Starbucks’s turnaround more challenging.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 4, 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

“Swim in it? Me?” said retiree Patrice Desrousses, 64, recoiling ever so slightly as he paused in his promenade beside the storied waterway.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 16, 2024

Her shoulders sagged, and she turned her head back, as though recoiling from an insult.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan