MEANING
To move abruptly back from something frightening, painful, or repellent.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- recoil from the sight
- recoil in fear
- recoil at the suggestion
On the page
She recoiled from the live wire.
When the hand emerged from the drain, both children recoiled.
He recoiled at the idea of entering the unstable shaft.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- recoil / recoils
- Past tense
- recoiled
- Past participle
- recoiled
- Present participle
- recoiling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- recoil / recoils
- Present continuous
- am/is/are recoiling
- Present perfect
- have/has recoiled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been recoiling
- Past
- recoiled
- Past continuous
- was/were recoiling
- Past perfect
- had recoiled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been recoiling
- Future
- will recoil / recoils
- Future continuous
- will be recoiling
- Future perfect
- will have recoiled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been recoiling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: fear. A directional response; can reflect disgust, surprise, or moral aversion as well as fear. Also describes a weapon’s backward movement. Verb forms (base, third-person singular, past, past participle, -ing): recoil, recoils, recoiled, recoiled, recoiling.
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