RECOIL
Dictionary entry overview: What does recoil mean?
• RECOIL (noun)
The noun RECOIL has 2 senses:
1. the backward jerk of a gun when it is fired
2. a movement back from an impact
Familiarity information: RECOIL used as a noun is rare.
• RECOIL (verb)
The verb RECOIL has 4 senses:
1. draw back, as with fear or pain
2. come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect
3. spring back; spring away from an impact
4. spring back, as from a forceful thrust
Familiarity information: RECOIL used as a verb is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
• RECOIL (noun)
Meaning:
The backward jerk of a gun when it is fired
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Synonyms:
recoil; kick
Hypernyms ("recoil" is a kind of...):
motion; movement (a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something)
Meaning:
A movement back from an impact
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Synonyms:
backlash; rebound; recoil; repercussion
Hypernyms ("recoil" is a kind of...):
motion; movement (a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "recoil"):
bounce; bouncing (rebounding from an impact (or series of impacts))
resilience; resiliency (an occurrence of rebounding or springing back)
carom; ricochet (a glancing rebound)
• RECOIL (verb)
Meaning:
Draw back, as with fear or pain
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Synonyms:
cringe; flinch; funk; quail; recoil; wince; squinch; shrink
Context example:
she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf
Hypernyms (to "recoil" is one way to...):
move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "recoil"):
retract; shrink back (pull away from a source of disgust or fear)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Meaning:
Come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
backfire; backlash; recoil
Context example:
Your comments may backfire and cause you a lot of trouble
Hypernyms (to "recoil" is one way to...):
come about; fall out; go on; hap; happen; occur; pass; pass off; take place (come to pass)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Meaning:
Spring back; spring away from an impact
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Synonyms:
bounce; rebound; take a hop; ricochet; resile; recoil; spring; bound; reverberate
Context examples:
The rubber ball bounced / These particles do not resile but they unite after they collide
Hypernyms (to "recoil" is one way to...):
bound; jump; leap; spring (move forward by leaps and bounds)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "recoil"):
kick; kick back; recoil (spring back, as from a forceful thrust)
bound off; skip (bound off one point after another)
carom; glance (rebound after hitting)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Meaning:
Spring back, as from a forceful thrust
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
kick back; recoil; kick
Context example:
The gun kicked back into my shoulder
Hypernyms (to "recoil" is one way to...):
bounce; bound; rebound; recoil; resile; reverberate; ricochet; spring; take a hop (spring back; spring away from an impact)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
