recoil

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

Although the resulting recoil force is extremely small, it acts continuously over millions of years.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

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

From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2026

“You would think that a human being with a shred of dignity would recoil from this thing,” Oswalt said.

From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2026

It’s not a happy story, and Molly has learned through experience that people either recoil or don’t believe her or, worse, pity her.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

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

Although Watkins has been the center of attention since middle school, when Gottlieb started hearing whispers of an eighth-grade phenom on the recruiting circuit, Watkins recoils when asked about her success.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2023

Viewers raved over Beharie's work in "White Noise," which is certainly excellent, especially in the scene where she simply recoils, wordless, as she takes in the vile digs anonymous commenters get in at her expense.

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2023

She glances at her body and she recoils.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

With high inflation ravaging the economy, Greenspan recoiled when he learned Ford’s advisers planned a grassroots movement to encourage personal savings by passing out buttons that proclaimed, “Whip Inflation Now.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 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

While reviews were largely positive, The Quietus recoiled at the lack of heavy guitar anthems in a scathing screed that employed descriptors like "unintrusive", "clunking" and "by-numbers detritus".

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2025

He recoiled from me, and I couldn’t blame him; he had no idea where he was or who I was.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2025

The dog, coming suddenly upon him face to face among the rough tussocks, recoiled a moment, startled and confused.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Economic uncertainty has tempered demand among even the wealthiest clients who had lifted sales for years, while aspirational shoppers are recoiling from persistent price increases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

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 pictured him puffing up the stairs, squeezing through the door, looking dis-approvingly at the clutter in their house, recoiling from Poppy’s sticky hands—no, it wouldn’t do.

From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau