recoil
To jump back suddenly in fear or disgust.
recoil in a sentence
- He could not help but recoil when the lid lifted and a huge spider scuttled out.
- The smell of the rotten egg made everyone recoil and back away from the table.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to recoil?
- Aadvance
- Bapproach
- Cface
- Dflinch
Show the answer
D: flinch. The other three mean the opposite of recoil.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to recoil?
- Ashrink
- Badvance
- Cjump
- Dflinch
Show the answer
B: advance. The other three mean nearly the same as recoil.
Words that mean something similar
flinch, jump, shrink
Words that mean the opposite
advance, approach, face
More words about movement & action
- repel: To push something away or drive it back, or to make someone feel disgusted.
- restrain: To hold someone or something back.
- retreat: To move back or away, especially from danger.
- retrieve: To go and get something back.
- revolt: To rise up and fight against the people in charge.
- rigid: Stiff and impossible to bend, or very strict.
- roam: To wander around freely with no fixed plan.
- ruffle: To make something messy or to upset someone slightly.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test