recoil

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We recoil at AI-generated music, art and writing—expressions of critical thinking, creativity and soul that have been replaced by a machine’s data aggregation.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

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

Many judges recoil from that conclusion, and the constitutional inquiry becomes personal.

From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2026

The word enters my ear like a snake, searing itself into my brain, and I recoil, like his statement of ridiculousness pushed me.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 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

I’ve always recoiled at having dinner on a first date.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2025

By that point, Layan had forgotten her completely, Omama says, and recoiled when they met.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025

More of those blurry, shriveled white flowers recoiled out of the thin light, rolling to the far corner, where something moved.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

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

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

“Swim in it? Me?” said retiree Patrice Desrousses, 64, recoiling ever so slightly as he paused in his promenade beside the storied waterway.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2024

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