I. rə̇ˈkȯil, rēˈ-, esp before pause or consonant -ȯiəl verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English reculen, recoilen, from Old French reculer, from re- + cul backside, from Latin culus — more at culet
transitive verb
obsolete : to force back : cause to retreat or withdraw
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to fall or draw back under the impact of force or pressure : undergo a forcing backward
the troops recoiled before the savage onslaught of the enemy
especially : to reel back
recoiled under the heavy blows
b. : to shrink back especially with a sudden movement (as in horror, fear, disgust) : move suddenly backward or away
opened the door and recoiled in terror
2. archaic : to withdraw oneself (as into solitude) : go away or apart : retire
recoiled into the wilderness — William Wordsworth
3.
a. : to spring back : rebound: as
(1) : to fly back (as of a released spring) into an uncompressed position
(2) : to kick back (as of a gun being fired)
b. : to return suddenly to or as if to a source or starting point
their hatred recoiled on themselves
4. obsolete : degenerate
Synonyms:
shrink , flinch , wince , blench , quail : recoil may indicate a drawing back, starting back, or swerving backward through fear, shock, or disgust; it may indicate an inner drawing back with emotion
she makes a gesture as if to touch him. He recoils impatiently — G.B.Shaw
he had so great a dread of snakes that he instinctively recoiled at the sight of one — T.B.Costain
shrink indicates an instinctive recoil through sensitiveness, scrupulousness, or cowardice
when it came to telling the truth about himself he shrank from the task with all the horror of a well-bred English gentleman — Virginia Woolf
a nervous avoidance of crowds, a shrinking from any change in her secluded manner of living — Ellen Glasgow
to shrink from responsibility is to invite social and economic insecurity — H.G.Armstrong
flinch involves a recoiling, retreating, or evading when one cannot muster up resolution to face the frightening, painful, or revolting
all retreat was cut off, and he looked his fate in the face without flinching — John Burroughs
he raised the head that lay in the dust with cautious strength, fearing that any touch might only be so much more needless pain. But there was no appearance of flinching — W.F.De Morgan
did not flinch from the contemplation of the violent aggression — J.H.Plumb
wince applies to an involuntary starting back or away caused by sensitiveness, dread, fear, or pain
to bring a beaten and degraded look into a man's face, rend manhood out of him in fear, is a sight that makes decent men wince in pain; for it is an outrage on the decency of life, an offense to natural religion, a violation of the human sanctities — G.D.Brown
her eyes winced for a moment as if she had become suddenly afraid — Liam O'Flaherty
he winced as though she had uttered blasphemy — W.J.Locke
blench may refer especially to fainthearted fearful flinching
she had not been prepared for an attack in flank, and blenched before it — Maurice Hewlett
though his death seemed near he did not blench — John Masefield
quail implies cowering and shrinking in fright, consternation, or defeated dejection
despite his professions of sanity and reason, had an inexplicable, invincible horror of death; he quailed at the mere mention of the black phantom — Norman Douglas
I am never known to quail at the fury of a gale — W.S.Gilbert
Synonym: see in addition rebound .
II. “, ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
( -s )
1.
a. : the action of recoiling ; especially : the kickback of a gun upon being fired
b. : the condition of having recoiled ; specifically : reaction
the recoil from formalism is skepticism — F.W.Robertson
2. : the extent to which something (as a gun, spring) recoils