Meaning & use
flinch
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To move back or tighten your body quickly because of pain, fear or surprise.
Grammar: No object; often followed by at, from or away: flinch at the noise.
Patterns
- flinch at something
- flinch away from something
She flinched when the needle touched her arm.
The child flinched at the loud clap of thunder.
He didn't flinch when the dog barked.
verbintransitive
To avoid or shrink from doing something difficult or unpleasant.
Grammar: Usually followed by from: flinch from a task. Often appears in the negative.
Patterns
- flinch from something
- flinch from doing something
The reporter never flinched from asking hard questions.
Good leaders do not flinch from difficult decisions.
She flinched from telling him the bad news.
nouncountable
A sudden small movement made because of pain, fear or surprise.
Grammar: Usually appears with an or without a flinch.
Patterns
- with a flinch
- without a flinch
He took the hit without a flinch.
With a flinch, she pulled her hand from the hot pan.
I saw a quick flinch cross his face.
Word forms
| third person singular | flinches |
|---|---|
| past tense | flinched |
| past participle | flinched |
| -ing form | flinching |
Common combinations
- flinch at the sound
- The puppy flinched at the sound of the vacuum.
- flinch from the truth
- We should not flinch from the truth, however hard it is.
- without flinching
- She faced the criticism without flinching.
- visibly flinch
- He visibly flinched when his name was called.
- barely flinch
- The boxer barely flinched under the blow.
- flinch away
- The horse flinched away from the raised hand.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wince
- Wince is a small facial twist showing pain or distaste, while flinch is a whole-body jerk away from something.
- cringe
- Cringe suggests shrinking from embarrassment or fear, and can be a feeling more than a movement.
- recoil
- Recoil is a bigger, longer movement back, often in disgust or shock.
- shy away
- Shy away means to avoid something over time, but flinch can be an instant reaction.
Opposites
Word family
- flinching adjective
- showing a tendency to pull back
- flincher noun
- someone who flinches (rare)
- unflinching adjective
- showing no fear or hesitation
- unflinchingly adverb
- without hesitation or fear
Commonly confused: flinch or blench? flinch or clench?
flinch vs blench
Blench is an older word meaning to flinch or turn pale, but it is rare, and people often mistake it for blanch, which means to go pale.
flinch vs clench
Clench means to squeeze tight, as in clench your fist, and has no sense of moving away.
Practice
The soldier did not ___ when the fireworks went off right behind him.
Choose one answer.
Flinch means to jerk away from a sudden shock. Clench, flush and drench look or sound similar but do not describe that reaction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “flinch”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.