1
as in flinches
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
we quailed when the waiter unexpectedly presented us with a hindquarter of frog's legs
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quails
Verb
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Advertisement Throughout the narrative, Johnson never flinches in his portrayal of the wreck, unleashing footage of investigators approaching the car and the victims’ families.—
Jake King-Schreifels,
Time,
15 May 2026 -
DiVincenzo never flinches at adversity.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Payton cringes at the mention of a sophomore slump, that defenses will figure out Nix.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Looking through scans from his first VIBE story from back in 2012, Rocky laughs at first, then immediately recoils.—
Jeff Ihaza,
VIBE.com,
2 June 2026
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While JoAnne recoils from Duncan’s machinations, her son Orson finally bottoms out in the supplement pit of the manosphere.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
17 May 2026
Verb
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The slot formerly occupied by Milli Vanilli will be taken by a dog whistle, being blown into the microphone very loudly so that everyone winces and covers their ears.—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
3 June 2026
-
Duncan winces, then again attempts to change the subject.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Quails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quails. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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