Anagram Solver

Definitions for Recoil

[1] to draw back; start or shrink back, as in alarm, horror, or disgust.
[2] to spring or fly back, as in consequence of force of impact or the force of the discharge, as a firearm.
[3] to spring or come back; react (usually followed by on or upon ): Plots frequently recoil upon the plotters.
[4] Physics . (of an atom, a nucleus, or a particle) to undergo a change in momentum as a result either of a collision with an atom, a nucleus, or a particle or of the emission of a particle.
[5] an act of recoiling.
[6] the distance through which a weapon moves backward after discharging.
[7] to coil again.
[8] to jerk back, as from an impact or violent thrust
[9] (often foll by from) to draw back in fear, horror, or disgust to recoil from the sight of blood
[10] (foll by on or upon ) to go wrong, esp so as to hurt the perpetrator
[11] (of a nucleus, atom, molecule, or elementary particle) to change momentum as a result of the emission of a photon or particle
[12] the backward movement of a gun when fired the distance moved
[13] the motion acquired by a particle as a result of its emission of a photon or other particle
[14] the act of recoiling

Words related to Recoil

blanch, hesitate, balk, waver, cringe, tremble, blink, shudder, demur, backfire, reel, wince, flinch, dodge, swerve, withdraw, jerk, falter, spring, rebound

Words nearby Recoil

recognition factor, recognizance, recognize, recognizee, recognizor, recoil, recoil escapement, recoil-operated, recoilless, recollect, recollected

Origin of Recoil

-coilFirst recorded in 1860–65; re- + coil1

Words that may be confused with Recoil

WORDS, THAT, MAY, BE, CONFUSED, WITH, re-coilre-coil, recoil

Other words from Recoil

re·coil·ing·ly , adverb
non·re·coil , noun

Word origin for Recoil

C13: from Old French reculer , from re- + cul rump, from Latin cūlus

Synonyms for Recoil

backfire, balk, blanch, blink, cringe, demur, flinch, hesitate, reel, shudder, tremble, turn away, waver, wince, blench, carom, dodge, duck, falter, jerk, kick, quail, quake, react, rebound, resile, shake, shirk, shrink, spring, start, stick, stickle, swerve, withdraw, draw back, pull back, shy away, step back