to draw back suddenly, as from pain, shock, etc; wince - (often followed by from)
to avoid contact (with); shy away: she never flinched from her duty
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
flinch1 /flɪntʃ/USA pronunciation
v.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- to draw back or shrink, as from something dangerous, painful, or difficult: [no object]The dog flinched at the noise.[~ + from + object]I won't flinch from hard work.
flinch1
(flinch),USA pronunciation v.i.
v.t.
n.
flinch′er, n.
flinch′ing•ly, adv.
flinch2 (flinch),USA pronunciation v.t.
- to draw back or shrink, as from what is dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant.
- to shrink under pain;
wince. - Sport[Croquet.]to let the foot slip from the ball in the act of croqueting.
v.t.
- to draw back or withdraw from.
n.
- an act of flinching.
- perh. nasalized variant of dialect, dialectal flitch to flit, shift one's position 1555–65
flinch′ing•ly, adv.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged recoil, withdraw, blench.
flinch2 (flinch),USA pronunciation v.t.
- flense.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
- a variant of flense
flense
(flens),USA pronunciation v.t., flensed, flens•ing.
flens′er, n.
- to strip the blubber or the skin from (a whale, seal, etc.).
- to strip off (blubber or skin).
- Danish flense or Dutch flensen
- 1805–15
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
- (transitive)
to strip (a whale, seal, etc) of (its blubber or skin)
'flinch' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):