Adjacent Words

Wince definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WINCE, v.i.
1. To shrink, as from a blow or from pain; to start back.
I will not stir nor wince.
2. To kick or flounce when uneasy, or impatient of a rider; as, a horse winces.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the facial expression of sudden pain
2: a reflex response to sudden pain [syn: wince, flinch] v
1: draw back, as with fear or pain; "she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf" [syn: flinch, squinch, funk, cringe, shrink, wince, recoil, quail]
2: make a face indicating disgust or dislike; "She winced when she heard his pompous speech"

Merriam Webster's

intransitive verb (winced; wincing) Etymology: Middle English wynsen to kick out, start, from Anglo-French *wincer, *guincer to shift direction, dodge, by-form of guenchir, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wenken, wank?n to totter — more at wench Date: circa 1748 to shrink back involuntarily (as from pain) ; flinch Synonyms: see recoil • wince noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. a start or involuntary shrinking movement showing pain or distress. --v.intr. give a wince. Derivatives: wincer n. wincingly adv. Etymology: ME f. OF guenchir turn aside: cf. WINCH, WINK 2. n. a roller for moving textile fabric through a dyeing-vat. Etymology: var. of WINCH

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wince Wince, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Winced; p. pr. & vb. n. Wincing.] [OE. wincen, winchen, OF. quencir, guenchir, guenchier, giencier, guinchier, and (assumed) winchier, winchir, to give way, to turn aside, fr. OHG. wankjan, wenken, to give way, to waver, fr. winchan to turn aside, to nod, akin to E. wink. See Wink.] 1. To shrink, as from a blow, or from pain; to flinch; to start back. I will not stir, nor wince, nor speak a word. --Shak. 2. To kick or flounce when unsteady, or impatient at a rider; as, a horse winces.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wince Wince, n. [See Winch.] (Dyeing & Calico Printing) A reel used in dyeing, steeping, or washing cloth; a winch. It is placed over the division wall between two wince pits so as to allow the cloth to descend into either compartment. at will. Wince pit, Wince pot, a tank or a pit where cloth in the process of dyeing or manufacture is washed, dipped in a mordant, or the like.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wince Wince, n. The act of one who winces.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(winces, wincing, winced) If you wince, the muscles of your face tighten suddenly because you have felt a pain or because you have just seen, heard, or remembered something unpleasant. Every time he put any weight on his left leg he winced in pain... VERB: V • Wince is also a noun. He suppressed a wince as motion renewed the pain. N-COUNT: usu sing

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. Flinch, shrink, startle, start back.

Moby Thesaurus

ache, agonize, ail, anguish, avoid, avoidance, blanch, blench, blink, boggle, cower, cringe, demur, dodge, draw back, draw in, duck, evade, evasion, fade, fall back, fallback, falter, feel pain, feel the pangs, fight shy of, flinch, funk, grimace, hang back, hang off, have a misery, have qualms, hesitate, hold off, hurt, jib, make bones about, pause, pound, pull back, pull in, pull out, pullback, pullout, quail, recoil, reel back, retract, retreat, scruple, sheer, sheer off, shoot, shrink, shrink back, shy, shy at, sidestep, sidestepping, smart, squinch, start, start aside, start back, stick at, stickle, strain, suffer, swerve, thrill, throb, tingle, turn, turn aside, twinge, twitch, waver, weasel, weasel out, withdraw, writhe