flinch C2 Topic:Emotions & Feelings US /flɪnt͡ʃ/ See IPA manual Freq #23610 Meanings 1 verb to draw back, as with fear or pain They flinched when I showed the slaughtering of the calf. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to draw back, as with fear... wince More shrinkbalkcringerecoil Word family Forms flinchedflinchesflinchingunflinchingunflinchingly Derived forms flincherflinchlessflinchy Etymology From Middle French flenchir (“to bend”), of Germanic origin. Compare Middle High German lenken (“to bend”). Attested in English since the 16th century. flenchir Middle French View etymology graph -> Topics Emotions & Feelings External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # flinch **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /flɪnt͡ʃ/ **Frequency rank:** 23610 ## Meanings 1. to draw back, as with fear or pain ## Examples - They flinched when I showed the slaughtering of the calf. ## Synonyms - wince - shrink - balk - cringe - recoil ## Derived Forms - flincher - flinchless - flinchy ## Roots and Affixes - Root: flenchir ## Etymology From Middle French flenchir (“to bend”), of Germanic origin. Compare Middle High German lenken (“to bend”). Attested in English since the 16th century. ## Topics - Emotions & Feelings markdown