as in to wince
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
there are some patients who flinch at the mere sight of a needle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in recoil
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of flinch
Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
While Western private equity might flinch at short-term volatility, Gulf funds are designed to absorb shocks and hold conviction assets through disruption.
—Winston Ma, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Dawn Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
So many terrible things happen that the reader develops a kind of flinch, bracing for the next calamity whenever there is a brief lull in the misery.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flinch
Verb
DiVincenzo never flinches at adversity.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
While Western private equity might flinch at short-term volatility, Gulf funds are designed to absorb shocks and hold conviction assets through disruption.
—Winston Ma, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Noun
Not a wound, an internal flinch.
—Dawn Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
So many terrible things happen that the reader develops a kind of flinch, bracing for the next calamity whenever there is a brief lull in the misery.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flinch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flinch
Verb
-
At times, she’s been shown wincing on the bench.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
Vanderbilt was in a ton of pain, and even the Thunder bench winced at Vanderbilt’s hand.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
And Ahmed, with his fearful eyes and tense grimace, makes for a compellingly sad and isolated figure.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Charlie Lindgren’s grimace was evident behind his mask.—
Bailey Johnson,
Washington Post,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Chinese state media said the robots can navigate difficult terrain and operate as stable mobile weapons platforms resistant to recoil and blast impacts.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
-
Critically, Michael doesn’t recoil when Jackie shares her horrific story.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Everyone thought the first season was so cringe and felt so bad for her.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
14 May 2026
-
My younger mom self — bless her and her homemade baby food — would cringe looking at my recent Costco haul.—
Ashlee Gadd,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
The Spaniard left hurriedly, carrying a frown that owed to a sense of injustice.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
Greg’s smile, contrasted with the frowns and thumbs-down from the rest of the crew, makes for an entertaining visual.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Watching Jackie read her profoundly scary tale, my reaction moved from curiosity to revulsion to fear… not of her, but of Michael.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
1 May 2026
-
His popularity’s decline was shaped partly by race, partly by our deep but uneven revulsion toward scandal involving children, and partly by a media ecosystem that devours spectacle.—
Steven Gray,
Time,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
So just sit and smile, a departure from a career built on scowl.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
-
This means a scowl is relatively likely to be an expression of anger.—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Acceleration is also accomplished with a throaty growl.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
There was no growl, no warning bark.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flinch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flinch. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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