wince

¹

[wins]

verb (used without object)

winced, wincing 

1. to draw back or tense the body, as from pain or from a blow; start; flinch.

   Synonyms: quail, blench

noun

1. a wincing or shrinking movement; a slight start.

wince

²

[wins]

noun

1. winch.

wince

¹

/ wɪns /

verb

1. (intr) to start slightly, as with sudden pain; flinch

noun

1. the act of wincing

wince

²

/ wɪns /

noun

1. a roller for transferring pieces of cloth between dyeing vats

Other Word Forms

• wincer noun
• wincingly adverb
• wincingness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wince¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English winsen, variant of winchen, wenchen “to kick,” from unrecorded Anglo-French wenc(h)ier, Old French guenc(h)ier, from Germanic; wench, winch ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of wince¹

C18 (earlier (C13) meaning: to kick): via Old French wencier, guenchir to avoid, from Germanic; compare Old Saxon wenkian, Old High German wenken

Origin of wince²

C17: variant of _winch

Synonym Study

Wince, recoil, shrink, quail all mean to draw back from what is dangerous, fearsome, difficult, threatening, or unpleasant. Wince suggests an involuntary contraction of the facial features triggered by pain, embarrassment, or a sense of revulsion: to wince as a needle pierces the skin; to wince at coarse language. Recoil denotes a physical movement away from something disgusting or shocking or a similar psychological shutting out or avoidance: to recoil from contact with a slimy surface; to recoil at the squalor and misery of the slum. Shrink may imply a fastidious or scrupulous avoidance of the distasteful or it may suggest cowardly withdrawal from what is feared: to shrink from confessing a crime; to shrink from going into battle. Quail suggests a loss of heart or courage in the face of danger or difficulty; it sometimes suggests trembling or other manifestations of physical disturbance: to quail before an angry mob.

Example Sentences

She winces as a small cannula is delicately inserted into her cheek.

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Even many of those who initially winced warmed up to him.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

If you thought the redistricting wars couldn’t get any hotter, wince again.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I ask, before wincing at the strength of her grip.

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He rubbed the fresh bump at the top of his skull and winced, but he seemed otherwise unharmed.

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Related Words

• back off 
• blanch 
• cower 
• cringe 
• flinch 
• grimace 
• recoil