recoil
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.
See Examples For:
Redirecting each photon creates a tiny recoil force, similar in principle to the recoil produced when a bullet is fired.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026
He smiled after I busted him for looking, which made me recoil in horror and quickly dart over to hide in the pet food aisle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Howitzers are put together from metal subsystems, such as the barrel, the breech mechanism the shell is loaded into and hydraulics that reduce recoil when artillery fires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Even in a deeply polarized time, many Americans remain wired to recoil from acts of violence and to feel sympathy for their victims.
From Slate ● Apr. 26, 2026
The old goblin seemed to recoil a little.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
At the end of “The Return,” when Fiennes stands entrail-smeared before his beloved Penelope, she recoils from the horror of the battlefield brought right into their home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Having fashioned a creature from dead body parts, the scientist recoils from the result, which appears to him to be a monster of “unparalleled barbarity,” and abandons his construction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
He practices a politics of inspiration, and the Surge recoils at politicians who try to inspire us.
From Slate ● Apr. 5, 2025
Historically, when the connection between power and principles is stretched so thin as to be no longer plausible, the public recoils.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2023
Jillian recoils as if my tone was a slap.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Washington, by contrast, recoiled at the very notion of monarchy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
Walking into his kitchen, Tim Yoder recoiled at a message on his refrigerator door: “Shop Samsung water filters.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
As an unknown theater actor, Reiner recoiled when strangers pegged him merely as “Carl Reiner’s son.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2025
By that point, Layan had forgotten her completely, Omama says, and recoiled when they met.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025
Gabe had recoiled in horror when Jonas had related Einars terrible history to him.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
Americans are recoiling at rising restaurant and coffee prices and eating out less, making Starbucks’s turnaround more challenging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2025
We’ll see if voters can reward this one while recoiling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2025
De Guzman, who also curated an art show called “Roots of Cool” about trees, noted that Los Angeles seems to actually shrink during the hotter months, as if recoiling from the sun.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2025
What I'm suggesting is that our mass recoiling at Sara Ramirez's Che Diaz on "And Just Like That…" may be misdirected.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2023
“Excuse me?” she says, recoiling, like she can smell his coffee breath.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
Vocabulary lists containing recoil
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List 7
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