recoil
/rɪˈkɔɪl
/verb [no object]
1Suddenly spring or flinch back in fear, horror, or disgust: he recoiled in horror...
- For some completely unknown reason I hadn't pulled away, or recoiled in disgust and horror.
- He dropped it suddenly and recoiled with disgust.
- She pulled away, recoiling suddenly as if she'd been stabbed with a cattle prod.
Synonyms
draw back, jump back, spring back, jerk back, pull back;
flinch, shy away, shrink (back), blench, start, wince, cower, quail
1.1Feel fear, horror, or disgust at the thought of something: Ronni felt herself recoil at the very thought...
- Refreshingly, she recoils at the idea of that mirage known as ‘quality time’.
- The theory is that Fraser recoiled from the idea of blaming a widely revered figure, and fellow Westminster alumni, especially one who cannot now defend himself.
- Some editors have recoiled from the idea, finding it a bit unseemly.
Synonyms
feel revulsion at, feel disgust at, feel abhorrence at, be unable to bear, be unable to stomach, shrink from, shy away from, baulk at, hesitate at
2Rebound or spring back through force of impact or elasticity: the muscle has the ability to recoil...
- The principle stress-bearing elements of the lung, which account for its tendency to recoil, are elastin and collagen fiber networks and surface tension.
- Hence, although we fix the vessel under distension, once the load is removed, the elastin will recoil and consequently have a tortuous geometry.
- This is due to elastic tendons that stretch and recoil, enabling the animals to ‘bounce’ along the ground like a pogo stick.
2.1(Of a gun) move abruptly backwards as a reaction on firing a bullet, shell, or other missile: the rifle recoiled...
- One shot bellowed out, and his gun recoiled, jumping backwards from the force of the bullet ripping from its nozzle.
- The front trigger is articulated to move forward a little when the gun recoils and then you move your finger forward for the right modified barrel.
- The rifle recoiled as it fired, and the shell exploded about a foot short of the missile.
Synonyms
kick (back), jerk back, spring back, fly back, jump back
2.2 (recoil on/upon) (Of an action) have an adverse reactive effect on (the originator): if man upsets his planetary ecosystem it will automatically recoil upon him...
- Stepping forward, threateningly close, he declared: ‘We tell you plainly that what you have said will recoil upon your head.’
- All suffering recoils on the wrongdoer himself.
- If I hate my neighbor, the hatred will recoil upon me.
Synonyms
rebound on, come back on, affect badly;
misfire, backfire, boomerang, go wrong, fail to work out, be unsuccessful, go amiss, come to grief, meet with disaster
archaic redound on
noun /ˈriːkɔɪl / [mass noun]
/ [mass noun]The action of recoiling: his body jerked with the recoil of the rifle...
- The light recoil and modest slide pace lull the shooter into a false sense of security.
- No matter how well you explain recoil or emphasize proper shooting stance, that first shot is a surprise.
- The recoil made his shoulder start hurting again.
Synonyms
kickback, kick
Derivatives
recoilless
- All they need to do is work on a recoilless version and it's a goer.
- The cheap, portable, recoilless Soviet-designed rocket launcher has long been a favorite of guerrilla armies everywhere, because it evens up the odds against more heavily armed and armored enemies.
- In addition to the rockets, police collected more then 400 mortar rounds, more than 200 recoilless rifle rounds, 150 machine gun rounds, 75 rocket-propelled grenades and four anti-tank mines.
Origin
Middle English (denoting the act of retreating): from Old French reculer 'move back', based on Latin culus 'buttocks'.
This word first meant the act of retreating. It is from Old French reculer ‘move back’, based on Latin culus ‘buttocks’. The sense ‘spring back in horror’ dates from the early 16th century.