I. ˈwin(t)s intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English wenchen, winchen, winsen, from (assumed) Old North French wencier, wenchier, of Germanic origin like Old French guenchier to turn aside, swerve; akin to Old High German wankōn to totter, waver, Old Norse vakka to stray, wander about, Old English wancol unsteady, wincian to blink, close one's eyes — more at wink
1. archaic : to kick restively from pain or impatience
a fly … may sting a stately horse and make him wince — Samuel Johnson
2. : to shrink back involuntarily (as from pain) : draw back or contract in an attempt to avoid pain : flinch
sharp stinging flurries of snow that made you wince and gasp — John Connell
her eyes winced with the glare of the sun — Waldo Frank
took a pleasure in saying things that made his wife wince — Rudyard Kipling
Synonyms: see recoil
II. noun
( -s )
1. archaic : kick
2. : an act or instance of involuntarily drawing back or contracting especially in reaction to pain
took the cruel blow without wince or cry — A. Conan Doyle
thought with an unpleasant wince of the money that he had already spent — Gabrielle Long
III.
Britain
variant of winch 1b, 3 I