flinch

[flinch] / flɪntʃ /

VERB

shy away, wince

Synonyms

STRONGEST

balk blanch blink cower cringe recoil

STRONG

avoid blench crouch duck elude escape eschew evade flee quail recede retire retreat shirk shrink shun start swerve withdraw

WEAK

draw back

Antonyms

STRONG

advance face forge meet remain stay stretch take on

WEAK

confront

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When we flinch as someone else gets hit, we feel their pain.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

He did not flinch at the backlash when he fought a near-pension age Mike Tyson, and he does not appear to care now.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2025

Amazingly, Lynda didn’t flinch, and her honesty, unfiltered yet graceful, was refreshing and alluring.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025

Through it all, one oil company didn’t flinch.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 9, 2025

I flinch, pausing before I reach the first step.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman