Meanings
flinch1
nounflinch (plural flinches)
plural flinches
verbflinch (third-person singular simple present flinches, present participle flinching, simple past and past participle flinched)
present singular third person flinches · participle present flinching · participle past flinched · past flinched
- intransitiveTo make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a (usually negative) stimulus; to cringe; to blench.
A child, by a constant course of kindness, may be accustomed to bear very rough usage without flinching or complaining.
1693, [John Locke], “(please specify the section number)”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC - To dodge (a question), to avoid an unpleasant task or duty
- croquetTo let the foot slip from a ball, when attempting to give a tight croquet.
flinch2
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a (usually negative) stimulus; to cringe; to blench.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*kleng-“to bend, turn, wind”
- Proto-Germanic*hlankijaną“to bend, twist, flex”
- Frankish*hlankijan
- Old Frenchflenchir
- Middle Frenchflenchir“to bend”
- Englishflinch
From Middle French flenchir (“to bend”), from Old French flenchir, flanchir, from Frankish *hlankijan, from Proto-Germanic *hlankijaną (“to bend, twist, flex”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleng- (“to bend, turn, wind”). Cognate with Old High German hlenken, whence Middle High German lenken (“to bend”), Modern German lenken (“to cause to veer or turn aside, steer”). Attested in English since the 16th century.
More words from Middle French, Old French, Frankish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀναπηδῶ
- ἀναπηδῶ (anapēdô)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
Arabic جَفَل
- جَفَل (jafal)reflexive jerking away
Bulgarian трепване, трепвам
- трепване (trepvane)reflexive jerking away
- трепвам (trepvam)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- дръпвам се (drăpvam se)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
Czech cuknutí, ucuknutí
- cuknutíreflexive jerking away
- ucuknutíreflexive jerking away
- škubnutíreflexive jerking away
- ucuknoutto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- trhnout sebouto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- couvnoutto avoid doing something momentarily
- ucuknoutto avoid doing something momentarily
- vyhnout seto avoid doing something momentarily
Dutch terugdeinzen, terugdeinzen
- terugdeinzenreflexive jerking away
- terugdeinzento make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
Esperanto eksalti
- eksaltito make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
Finnish säpsähdys, kavahtaa
- säpsähdysreflexive jerking away
- kavahtaato make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- säpsähtääto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
French broncher, sursauter
- broncherto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- sursauterto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
German Zucken, Zurückzucken
- Zuckenreflexive jerking away
- Zurückzuckenreflexive jerking away
- Zurückschreckenreflexive jerking away
- Zusammenfahrenreflexive jerking away
- zuckento make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- zurückzuckento make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- zurückschreckento make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- zurückweichento make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- zusammenzuckento make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- wankento make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- zusammenfahrento make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- sich entziehento avoid doing something momentarily
Greek αναπηδώ
- αναπηδώ (anapidó)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
Irish cúlaigh, creathnaigh
- cúlaighto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- creathnaighto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- loicto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
Italian sussultare
- sussultareto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
Japanese 怯む
- 怯む (hirumu)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
Māori wīwī, toemi
- wīwīto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- toemito make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- kōrapato make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- koemito make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- maopoto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- kōrapato avoid doing something momentarily
Polish wzdrygać się, wzdrygnąć się
- wzdrygać sięto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- wzdrygnąć sięto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
Portuguese estremecer
- estremecerto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
Russian вздра́гивание, отдёргивание
- вздра́гивание (vzdrágivanije)reflexive jerking away
- отдёргивание (otdjórgivanije)reflexive jerking away
- вздра́гивать (vzdrágivatʹ)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- вздро́гнуть (vzdrógnutʹ)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- содрога́ться (sodrogátʹsja)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- содрогну́ться (sodrognútʹsja)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- отдёргиваться (otdjórgivatʹsja)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- отдёрнуться (otdjórnutʹsja)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- отдёргивать (otdjórgivatʹ)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- отдёрнуть (otdjórnutʹ)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- отпря́нуть (otprjánutʹ)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- увильнуть (uvilʹnutʹ)to avoid doing something momentarily
Slovak cuknutie, myknutie
- cuknutiereflexive jerking away
- myknutiereflexive jerking away
- trhnutiereflexive jerking away
- šklbnutiereflexive jerking away
- cuknúť sato make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- myknúť sato make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- trhnúť sato make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- vyhnúť sato avoid doing something momentarily
Spanish estremecerse, reaccionar
- estremecerseto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- reaccionarto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- inmutarseto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- encogerseto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- achicarseto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- enarcarseto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- no arrostrarto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
- rehuir deto avoid doing something momentarily
Swedish rycka till
- rycka tillto make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
Ukrainian здригну́тися
- здригну́тися (zdryhnútysja)to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a stimulus
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with flinch
All rhymes →Sounds the same
flench (pin–pen merger)flench (pin–pen merger)flench (pin–pen merger)
Cite this entry
APA
flinch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flinch
MLA
“flinch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flinch. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flinch,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flinch.
Source: flinch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.