recoil Hear it!

recoil definition

re·coil (ri ko̵il; also for n., esp. of weapons, rēko̵il′)

intransitive verb

    1. to draw back, fall back, or stagger back; retreat
    2. to start or shrink back, as in fear, surprise, or disgust
  1. to fly back when released, as a spring, or kick back when fired, as a gun
  2. to return to or as to the starting point or source; react (on or upon)

Etymology: ME recoilen < OFr reculer < re-, back + cul < L culus, the anus, buttocks: see culet

noun

  1. the act of recoiling
  2. the state of having recoiled; reaction
  3. the distance through which a gun, spring, etc. recoils

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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