flinched

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.

But Fery never flinched, even as the tension and expectation ramped, becoming just the sixth British player in the Open era to reach the Wimbledon men's singles quarter-finals.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026

He never flinched, instead taking it upon himself to bring up prominent women with alopecia.

From Slate • May 23, 2026

As young men flinched and gasped around me at the Los Angeles premiere of “Obsession,” I almost had to laugh.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

On the other hand, rich drivers barely flinched.

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

She flinched, but one pair of eyes fixed a gaze so piercing upon her that she could not look away.

From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin