Recoil definition
To recoil is to spring back or back away.
When you jump backwards in horror away from a dead body you have just spotted, this is an example of recoil.
When a gun kicks back when fired, this is an example of recoil.
verb
To return to or as to the starting point or source; react (on or upon)
verb
To draw back, fall back, or stagger back; retreat.
verb
To start or shrink back, as in fear, surprise, or disgust.
verb
A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking.
The recoil of nature, or of the blood.
noun
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The state or condition of having recoiled.
noun
Milton.
Evil on itself shall back recoil.
verb
De Quincey.
The solemnity of her demeanor made it impossible [...] that we should recoil into our ordinary spirits.
verb
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To pull back, especially in disgust, horror or astonishment. [from 16th c.]
He recoiled in disgust when he saw the mess.
verb
To spring back, as upon firing.
verb
To shrink back, as in fear or repugnance.
verb
To fall back; return.
verb
The backward action of a firearm upon firing.
noun
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The act or state of recoiling; reaction.
noun
To fly back when released, as a spring, or kick back when fired, as a gun.
verb
The act of recoiling.
noun
The state of having recoiled; reaction.
noun
The distance through which a gun, spring, etc. recoils.
noun
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Other Word Forms
Noun
Singular:
recoil
Plural:
recoilsOrigin of recoil
- Middle English recoilen from Old French reculer re- re- cul buttocks (from Latin cūlus (s)keu- in Indo-European roots)
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Old French reculer.
From Wiktionary