recoil

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishRelated topics: Weaponsrecoilre‧coil /rɪˈkɔɪl/ verb [intransitive] 1 MOVE/CHANGE POSITIONto move back suddenly and quickly from something you do not like or are afraid ofrecoil from/at She recoiled from his touch as if she had been slapped.2 AVOIDto feel such a strong dislike of a particular situation that you want to avoid itrecoil 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 PMWif 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.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpusrecoil• She looked at the dead body and recoiled.• She saw the names of prominent corporate donors mentioned liberally throughout the library and recoiled.• They met the same tempest of shell, grape, canister, and musketry, and recoiled.• It stung her deeply and she recoiled at once.• The divorce was acrimonious; she still recoils at the name Andy.• They recoil away as if the intruder were unpleasant to them - something more than simply shading them from sunlight.• They they do not recoil from each other, but blend together in one mass.• She recoiled from his touch.• And for the rest of his life he recoiled from the popular mission and missioner.• But the Republican governors recoiled from the prospect of reopening the welfare bill for anything.recoil from/at• They they do not recoil from each other, but blend together in one mass.• She recoiled from his touch.• He recoiled from rivalry between religions.• How Pascal would have recoiled from the modern measurements of the universe!• The divorce was acrimonious; she still recoils at the name Andy.• And for the rest of his life he recoiled from the popular mission and missioner.• But the Republican governors recoiled from the prospect of reopening the welfare bill for anything.• The MPAA ratings board recoiled at the sex scenes and gave the movie an X rating.• The recoil from this emission changes the velocity of the matter particle.recoil from/at• They they do not recoil from each other, but blend together in one mass.• He recoiled from rivalry between religions.• How Pascal would have recoiled from the modern measurements of the universe!• The divorce was acrimonious; she still recoils at the name Andy.• And for the rest of his life he recoiled from the popular mission and missioner.• But the Republican governors recoiled from the prospect of reopening the welfare bill for anything.• The recoil from this emission changes the velocity of the matter particle.Origin recoil (1100-1200) Old French reculer, from cul “ass”

Quizzes

Take our quick quizzes to practise your vocabulary.
We have thousands of six-question quizzes to try.
Choose from collocations, synonyms, phrasal verbs and more.

Pictures of the day

What are these?

Click on the pictures to check.

Explore topics

See all topics

Word of the day cite to mention something as an example, especially one that supports, proves, or explains an idea or situation

Verb table

recoil

Simple Form
Present
I, you, we, they	recoil
he, she, it	recoils
> View More
Past
I, you, he, she, it, we, they	recoiled
Present perfect
I, you, we, they	have recoiled
he, she, it	has recoiled
Past perfect
I, you, he, she, it, we, they	had recoiled
Future
I, you, he, she, it, we, they	will recoil
Future perfect
I, you, he, she, it, we, they	will have recoiled
> View Less

Continuous Form
Present
I	am recoiling
he, she, it	is recoiling
> View More
you, we, they	are recoiling
Past
I, he, she, it	was recoiling
you, we, they	were recoiling
Present perfect
I, you, we, they	have been recoiling
he, she, it	has been recoiling
Past perfect
I, you, he, she, it, we, they	had been recoiling
Future
I, you, he, she, it, we, they	will be recoiling
Future perfect
I, you, he, she, it, we, they	will have been recoiling
> View Less