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Showing results for recoil. Search instead for recoal.
Definitions

recoil

[ri-koil, ree-koil, ri-koil] / rɪˈkɔɪl, ˈriˌkɔɪl, rɪˈkɔɪl /


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:

Such a request would usually make listeners recoil instinctively.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

At the same time, photon recoil continues to propel it forward, creating a steering system that works somewhat like the directional control used in larger vehicles.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026

We recoil at AI-generated music, art and writing—expressions of critical thinking, creativity and soul that have been replaced by a machine’s data aggregation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Years have turned over since the social recoil of 2020.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

He freezes at my touch, but doesn’t recoil.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Half a century later, Jiang is still the reason the Communist Party recoils at any hint of a leader’s spouse wielding power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

He practices a politics of inspiration, and the Surge recoils at politicians who try to inspire us.

From Slate ● Apr. 5, 2025

You see Oppenheimer recoil, even if what he recoils from is left pointedly out of frame.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2023

"No. I can't believe this. No," Davis says, laughing with dumbfounded disbelief as she recoils.

From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2023

When she sees his number appear, she recoils, as if she’s just seen a poisonous creature.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

His detractors recoiled at the ostentatious displays, questioned the origins of his money and his political connections, and saw his lifestyle as a stark illustration of inequality.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

But other voters simply recoiled at having to select a candidate they viewed as entirely unqualified.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

The Hungarian photographer recoiled at the work of American photographers such as Ansel Adams, whose “cult of technical perfection,” according to Patricia Albers, risked “killing their subjects with irrelevant detail.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

The manager turned off the vacuum, recoiled hoses and exhaled with relief.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2025

When it turned I reached for its hind flipper, but as soon as I touched it I recoiled in horror.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

But he proves a skilled physical comic, tussling with his boots or recoiling from a kick in the shins from Lucky.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 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

“She means to show that she likes you,” Penelope started to explain, but Lady Constance was already recoiling toward the door.

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood




Vocabulary lists containing recoil


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