/ English Dictionary

FLINCH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A reflex response to sudden pain

Synonyms:

flinch; wince

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("flinch" is a kind of...):

jump; start; startle (a sudden involuntary movement)

Derivation:

flinch (draw back, as with fear or pain)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Draw back, as with fear or pain

Example:

she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf

Synonyms:

cringe; flinch; funk; quail; recoil; shrink; squinch; wince

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "flinch" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "flinch"):

retract; shrink back (pull away from a source of disgust or fear)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

flinch (a reflex response to sudden pain)

Credits

 Context examples: 

But when he heard himself say this, he flinched and began to cry "Oh, my God!" again in his groaning voice. Michaelis made a clumsy attempt to distract him.

(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)

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