MEANING
To make a brief involuntary recoil or grimace in response to pain or distress.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- wince at a sound
- wince in pain
On the page
She winced when the rough edge caught the cut.
He winced at the familiar phrase before restoring his expression.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- wince
- Past tense
- winced
- Past participle
- winced
- Present participle
- wincing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- wince
- Present continuous
- am/is/are wincing
- Present perfect
- have/has winced
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been wincing
- Past
- winced
- Past continuous
- was/were wincing
- Past perfect
- had winced
- Past perfect continuous
- had been wincing
- Future
- will wince
- Future continuous
- will be wincing
- Future perfect
- will have winced
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been wincing
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: horror. Forms: wince; winces; winced; winced; wincing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: winces.
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