recoil[verb]Synonyms:- jerk back, kick, react, rebound, spring back
- draw back, falter, quail, shrink
- backfire, boomerang, misfire, rebound
[noun]Synonyms:- reaction, backlash, kick, rebound, repercussion
Antonyms: confront, defy
Contrasted words: advance, approach, near
Related Words: falter,
hesitate,
waver,
balk,
shy,
stick,
stickle,
dodge,
duck,
swerve,
quake,
shake,
shudder,
tremble,
reel (back) [TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲
re‧coil /rɪˈkɔɪl/
verb [intransitive][
Date: 1100-1200;
Language: Old French;
Origin: reculer, from cul 'ass']
1. to move back suddenly and quickly from something you do not like or are afraid of
recoil from/at
She recoiled from his touch as if she had been slapped.2. to feel such a strong dislike of a particular situation that you want to avoid it
recoil from/at He recoils from everything in life that demands hard work. We recoil in horror from the thought of subjecting someone to extreme pain.3. if a gun recoils, it moves backwards very quickly after it has been fired
—recoil /ˈriːkɔɪl/
noun [singular, uncountable]:
The recoil of the gun sent him flying backwards. [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲