How to Use recoil in a Sentence

recoil

1 of 2 verb
  • We recoiled in horror at the sight of his wounded arm.
  • He recoiled from her touch.
  • The rifle recoiled and bruised my shoulder.
  • Blazy, a Parisian born and bred, recoiled from the claim.
    — Nathan Heller, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Challenges are something that this team has yet to recoil from.
    — oregonlive, 18 Aug. 2020
  • Some recoiled at the launch and others quit their positions.
    — Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Coleman didn’t recoil from the heat of those closing moments.
    — Nick Moyle, ExpressNews.com, 2 Dec. 2020
  • Investors recoiled out of fears of an endless quagmire.
    — Jake Angelo, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Retail sales have softened as consumers recoil from higher prices for food and gas.
    — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 25 July 2022
  • The girl teaches him French and does not recoil at his eagle-and-skull tattoo.
    — Mark Kennedy, Detroit Free Press, 30 July 2021
  • The fear that Biden might recoil from more activist policies dates back to the campaign.
    — New York Times, 11 Feb. 2021
  • Henry recoiled, then smashed through a wall (that part of the sketch was planned), suffering cuts to his leg as well.
    — Thr Staff, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan. 2020
  • Nietzsche thought most would recoil.
    — Shai Tubali, Big Think, 5 Aug. 2025
  • The marketing guy recoiled and said the figure was way too high and in no way could it be justified.
    — Lily Moayeri, Spin, 5 Oct. 2023
  • Conservatives tend to recoil at this kind of thing for a number of reasons.
    — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 6 Mar. 2021
  • While some may recoil at the notion, there are pluses to raising the retirement age.
    — Chris Carosa, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023
  • The news caught teachers and staff at Westover Hills off guard, and many of them recoiled from the idea.
    — Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 19 June 2023
  • The startled nucleus would then recoil and emit some form of energy, such as a flash of light or a sound wave.
    — Wired, 13 Jan. 2019
  • Those who really might be considered elite would recoil at the word, the notion.
    — Sally Quinn, Washington Post, 17 May 2021
  • Our minds don’t like this though, and recoil against what seem like huge extra charges for what are often minor changes in schedule.
    — Brad Templeton, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2021
  • This time Jordan noticed that the boy kept recoiling, as if bracing for a hand to come down on him.
    — Emily Tate, WIRED, 17 July 2019
  • Anaia recoils from this request, but Racine is fully up for the mission.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 15 May 2026
  • Like a startled squid in water, the women recoiled in unison expecting the lord to do as he was told.
    — Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 4 Dec. 2023
  • The next time the provider reached for her arm, the 15-year-old girl recoiled and pulled away, according to the lawsuit.
    — Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 10 Dec. 2019
  • The moment was caught on camera by fans, with Bryan seen slightly recoiling after the hit.
    — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Wide-eyed and covering her mouth with her right arm, the actress appears to be recoiling from something just out of frame.
    — Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 31 Aug. 2019
  • What matters is why Reese recoiled at the suggestion to include the runners-up.
    — Roxanne Jones, CNN, 9 Apr. 2023
  • But Feige promises that the camera and focus won’t recoil from the violence.
    — Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2022
  • Markets recoiled for a moment, then kept climbing, the Nasdaq tripling before the decade was out.
    — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 23 June 2026
  • Though still clearly recoiling from the shock of the news and the weight of what’s to come, Ballard embraced the future.
    — Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, 25 Aug. 2019

recoil

2 of 2 noun
  • The gun has a sharp recoil.
  • The recoil and the force of her blow knocked me backwards.
    — William D. Brown, Outdoor Life, 13 Nov. 2025
  • That's when the gun's recoil sent the scope back into the bridge of my nose.
    — Star Tribune, 1 May 2021
  • This is equipped with recoil and auto choke, so there’s no fussing with primer or the choke.
    — Chris Hachey, BGR, 23 Apr. 2021
  • Fans recoil at the idea of betrayal.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
  • See how his left arm braces itself against a branch, expecting recoil.
    — Washington Post, 14 July 2021
  • But when his drill struck rebar, the recoil snapped back into his mouth, breaking his teeth all over again.
    — Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
  • The force of firing a prop gun provides the shooter with real recoil.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2021
  • The gas system worked well and did an admirable job of reducing recoil.
    — Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2023
  • But, hey, pull that choke, yank the recoil starter, and that big Honda roars to life in seconds.
    — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 21 Feb. 2023
  • The main advantage of the gas gun is greatly reduced felt recoil.
    — Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 25 Jan. 2021
  • Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them.
    — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Light and medium machine guns knotted the air, swirling up whippets of dust with their recoil.
    — Carter Malkasian, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2022
  • For kids and new shooters, suppressors take away the two things that bother them – recoil and noise.
    — al, 31 Mar. 2022
  • There’s a lot of energy in those tubes and a lot of recoil that can lead to fatalities.
    — Eric Adams, Popular Mechanics, 1 July 2019
  • Blanks are used to simulate the firing of a live bullet with a muzzle flash, recoil and bang.
    — Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 6 Nov. 2021
  • So prepare to feel the recoil from weapons, and more impact from your environment in the left and right grips.
    — Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, 2 Nov. 2020
  • Fingers curl around triggers, eyes track the pigeons' paths and bodies jerk back with the recoil of every shot.
    — Erin Kirkland, Alaska Dispatch News, 30 Oct. 2017
  • The recoil was smooth and easy to control using the retraction button.
    — Molly Blanco, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Nov. 2022
  • Let evil recoil on those who slander Kendra; in your faithfulness destroy them.
    — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
  • What effect will that have on the recoil velocity and angle of the 1 ball?
    — Rhett Allain, Wired, 17 Dec. 2021
  • The gun comes with Ruger’s Boomer muzzle brake, which does a great job of reducing recoil.
    — Michael Dickerson, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2023
  • Rather than recoil at contact from a stranger, Murray returned the hug, smiling.
    — Tania Ganguli, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2023
  • What happens when a drone has a recoil momentum equal to the momentum of a fireball?
    — Rhett Allain, WIRED, 4 July 2018
  • Trainees took turns attempting the task, dropping to their mats and fumbling with the guns’ dust covers and recoil springs.
    — Ann Neumann, Harper’s Magazine , 6 Jan. 2023
  • The men in the show fight, cheat, steal, throw milk bottles impetuously through windows, recoil at the sight of blood.
    — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 31 May 2021
  • Lighter dark matter particles wouldn't have the heft to cause a nucleus of xenon or argon to recoil.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Finally, there is the physical recoil of holding the gun and the loud bang that results.
    — Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2021
  • And yet my instinct to recoil at this all collides with a harder reality.
    — Catherine Thorbecke, Twin Cities, 25 Apr. 2026
  • The team saw that the recoil allowed the foot to remain in contact with the floor longer and better propel the body forward.
    — Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recoil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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