wince

UK: /ˈwɪns/ US: /wɪns/ ,(wins)

Inflections of 'wince' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

winces

v 3rd person singular

wincing

v pres p

winced

v past

winced

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

wince¹ /wɪns/   v., winced, winc•ing, n. 
v. [no object]

1. to draw back or move away, as from a blow;
   flinch:
   I winced as the nurse injected the serum in my arm.

n. [countable]

2. a wincing movement.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

wince¹  (wins), v., winced, winc•ing, n. 
v.i. 

1. to draw back or tense the body, as from pain or from a blow;
   start;
   flinch.

n. 

2. a wincing or shrinking movement;
   a slight start.

• Gmc. Cf. wench, winch¹
• Anglo-French *wenc(h)ier; Old French guenc(h)ier
• Middle English winsen, variant of winchen, wenchen to kick 1250–1300

winc′er, n. 
winc′ing•ly, adv. 
winc′ing•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. blench, quail.
  Wince, recoil, shrink, quail all mean to draw back from what is dangerous, fearsome, difficult, threatening, or unpleasant.
  Wince suggests an involuntary contraction of the facial features triggered by pain, embarrassment, or a sense of revulsion:
  to wince as a needle pierces the skin; to wince at coarse language.
  Recoil denotes a physical movement away from something disgusting or shocking or a similar psychological shutting out or avoidance:
  to recoil from contact with a slimy surface; to recoil at the squalor and misery of the slum.
  Shrink may imply a fastidious or scrupulous avoidance of the distasteful or it may suggest cowardly withdrawal from what is feared:
  to shrink from confessing a crime; to shrink from going into battle.
  Quail suggests a loss of heart or courage in the face of danger or difficulty; it sometimes suggests trembling or other manifestations of physical disturbance:
  to quail before an angry mob.

wince²  (wins), n. 

1. Textiles winch¹ (def. 4).

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

wince / wɪns/ verb

1. (intransitive) to start slightly, as with sudden pain; flinch

noun

1. the act of wincing

Etymology: 18th Century (earlier (C13) meaning: to kick): via Old French wencier, guenchir to avoid, from Germanic; compare Old Saxon wenkian, Old High German wenken

ˈwincer noun

wince / wɪns/ noun

1. a roller for transferring pieces of cloth between dyeing vats

Etymology: 17th Century: variant of winch