Flinch

//flɪnt͡ʃ// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A reflexive jerking away.

    "My eye doctor hates the flinch I have every time he tries to get near my eyes."

  2. 2
    a reflex response to sudden pain wordnet
  3. 3
    The slipping of the foot from a ball, when attempting to give a tight croquet.
Verb
  1. 1
    To make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a (usually negative) stimulus; to cringe; to blench. intransitive

    "A child, by a constant course of kindness, may be accustomed to bear very rough usage without flinching or complaining."

  2. 2
    Alternative form of flense. alt-of, alternative
  3. 3
    draw back, as with fear or pain wordnet
  4. 4
    To dodge (a question), to avoid an unpleasant task or duty
  5. 5
    To let the foot slip from a ball, when attempting to give a tight croquet.

Synonyms

All synonyms
recoilwinceavoidavoidancebalkbat an eyelid

Example

More examples

"He is not such a man as to flinch from danger."

Etymology

From Middle French flenchir (“to bend”), of Germanic origin. Compare Middle High German lenken (“to bend”). Attested in English since the 16th century.

Related phrases

two for flinching

More for "flinch"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.