Recoil - Definition
recoil
n 1: the backward jerk of a gun when it is fired [syn: recoil,
kick]
2: a movement back from an impact [syn: recoil,
repercussion, rebound, backlash]
v 1: draw back, as with fear or pain; "she flinched when they
showed the slaughtering of the calf" [syn: flinch,
squinch, funk, cringe, shrink, wince, recoil,
quail]
2: come back to the originator of an action with an undesired
effect; "Your comments may backfire and cause you a lot of
trouble" [syn: backfire, backlash, recoil]
3: spring back; spring away from an impact; "The rubber ball
bounced"; "These particles do not resile but they unite after
they collide" [syn: bounce, resile, take a hop,
spring, bound, rebound, recoil, reverberate,
ricochet]
4: spring back, as from a forceful thrust; "The gun kicked back
into my shoulder" [syn: kick back, recoil, kick]