Wiktionary

recoil

English

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Etymology

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From Old French reculer.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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recoil (countable and uncountable, plural recoils)

 
Recoil (sense 3) causes this pistol to deflect upwards.
  1. A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking.
    the recoil of nature, or of the blood
  2. The state or condition of having recoiled.
    • 1850, Frederick William Robertson, second address delivered to the members of the Working Men's Institute, Brighton:
      The recoil from formalism is skepticism.
  3. (firearms) The energy transmitted back to the shooter from a firearm which has fired. Recoil is a function of the weight of the weapon, the weight of the projectile, and the speed at which it leaves the muzzle.
  4. An escapement in which, after each beat, the scape-wheel recoils slightly.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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recoil (third-person singular simple present recoils, present participle recoiling, simple past and past participle recoiled) (intransitive)

  1. To pull back, especially in disgust, horror or astonishment. [from 16th c.]
    He recoiled in disgust when he saw the mess.
  2. (archaic) To retreat before an opponent. [from 14th c.]
  3. (weaponry) Of a firearm: to quickly push back when fired.
  4. (obsolete) To retire, withdraw. [15th–18th c.]

Translations

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Anagrams

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