US /wɪns/
verb Freq #55023

Meanings

  1. 1
    verb

    make a face indicating disgust or dislike

    I winced when I heard their pompous speech.

Thesaurus

Word family
Forms wincedwinceswincing
Related forms cringesuffer

Etymology

From Middle English wyncen, from Anglo-Norman winchir (compare Old French guenchir), from Frankish *wankjan, related to *winkijan (“to flex, bend”). See also German winken.

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