flinch
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English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
From Middle French flenchir (“to bend”), of Germanic origin. Compare Middle High German lenken (“to bend”). Attested in English since the 16th century.
Noun[edit]
flinch (plural flinches)
- A reflexive jerking away.
- My eye doctor hates the flinch I have every time he tries to get near my eyes.
- (croquet) The slipping of the foot from a ball, when attempting to give a tight croquet.
Translations[edit]
reflexive jerking away
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See also[edit]
- (reflexive jerking away): cringe
Verb[edit]
flinch (third-person singular simple present flinches, present participle flinching, simple past and past participle flinched)
- (intransitive) To make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a (usually negative) stimulus; to cringe.
- 1693, [John Locke], “(please specify the section number)”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC:
- A child, by a constant course of kindness, may be accustomed to bear very rough usage without flinching or complaining.
- To dodge (a question), to avoid an unpleasant task or duty
- (croquet) To let the foot slip from a ball, when attempting to give a tight croquet.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
to avoid doing something momentarily
References[edit]
- “flinch”, in Collins English Dictionary.
- “flinch”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
Etymology 2[edit]
Verb[edit]
flinch (third-person singular simple present flinches, present participle flinching, simple past and past participle flinched)
- Alternative form of flense
References[edit]
- “flinch”, in Collins English Dictionary.
Categories:
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
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- Rhymes:English/ɪntʃ
- Rhymes:English/ɪntʃ/1 syllable
- English terms borrowed from Middle French
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English lemmas
- English nouns
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- en:Croquet
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