Meaning & use
shrink back
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Meanings
verbintransitive
to move your body suddenly backward because you are afraid, shocked, or disgusted.
Grammar: No object; it often comes before 'from' or 'in/with': shrink back from the dog, shrink back in horror.
Patterns
- shrink back from someone/something
- shrink back in fear/horror
- shrink back with a gasp
She shrank back from the snake and almost fell off the path.
He shrank back in horror when he saw the damage to his car.
The child shrank back with a gasp as the door slammed.
verbintransitive
to avoid becoming involved in something difficult or unpleasant, especially because you are nervous.
Grammar: No object; followed by 'from': shrink back from a challenge.
Patterns
- shrink back from something
- shrink back from doing something
She never shrank back from a difficult decision.
He shrank back from telling his parents the truth.
Don't shrink back from asking for help when you need it.
Word forms
| third person singular | shrinks back |
|---|---|
| past tense | shrank back |
| past participle | shrunk back |
| -ing form | shrinking back |
Common combinations
- shrink back in fear
- The puppy shrank back in fear when the vacuum cleaner started.
- shrink back from something
- She shrank back from the edge of the cliff.
- shrink back with a gasp
- He shrank back with a gasp when the balloon popped.
- shrink back into the shadows
- The cat shrank back into the shadows when strangers arrived.
Synonyms and how they differ
- recoil
- Recoil is more formal and often describes a sudden physical movement away from something unpleasant, like a gun or a smell.
- flinch
- Flinch means a quick, small movement of the body in reaction to pain or fear, not a full step backward.
- cower
- Cower means to bend down and make yourself small because you are very afraid, often staying in one place.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: shrink back or shrink? shrink back or shirk?
shrink back vs shrink
Shrink alone can mean to get smaller (clothes shrink in hot water). Shrink back always means a backward movement from fear or disgust.
shrink back vs shirk
Shirk means to avoid a duty or work (shirk your responsibilities). It sounds similar but has nothing to do with moving backward.
Practice
The little boy ______ back from the growling dog.
Choose one answer.
The simple past tense of 'shrink' is 'shrank', so 'shrank back' fits the past-time story. 'Shrunk' is the past participle and needs a helping verb (had shrunk back), 'shrink' is the base form and would not match the past tense, and 'shrinking' would need a form of 'be' (was shrinking back).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shrink back”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.