as in to flinch
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
winced at the movie's graphic depiction of combat injuries
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of wince
Ariel Katz, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Artists who worked with or were professionally close to Combs, such as Usher might now wince at their association.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 11 Oct. 2024
Readers will wince, but such human appeals are also a spur to action.
—Paul Collier, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2011
Reclining seats won’t be coming to Wizz Air’s longer routes, while legroom will remain limited, leaving prospective passengers wincing about newfound levels of discomfort.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 18 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wince 
Verb
The pianist winced at the bassist, and the saxophonist struggled to find any space in the rhythm.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for wince
Verb
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People gawk and flinch on the subway; a comely neighbor, Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), upon meeting him, lets out an involuntary shriek.Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2024
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The sports action is visceral and looks painfully real, the violent force of slams and flips likely causing many in the audience to flinch.David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2024
Noun
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The researchers found that when people fake pain, their mouth-opening action during grimaces is too regular.IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2014
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There’s no need to ask for his further blessings, and having noticed Philip’s many grimaces of disapproval in the background of Eddie’s selfies, Elsbeth and Kaya decide to attend a performance themselves, sitting in his late grandmother’s seats.Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Both groups recoiled at the image of old people as frail or needy.Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
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Plenty of people recoil from Saudi involvement in sport and with plenty of good reasons, but to be a Newcastle fan under Ashley was to experience a pitiless withering.George Caulkin, The Athletic, 10 July 2024
Noun
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Their faces spoke louder: frowns of frustration, gasps of shock, squints of doubt, bursts of laughter, pouts of disappointment.Gerui Wang, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
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And despite every update that comes through our phones, offering up the promise of an ever-changing technological world, a basic yellow frown turned upside down always does the trick.David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Since most consumers don’t feel like repainting their home every year, leaning too far into today’s 15-minute trends can tank a brand’s color credibility while leaving their customers cringing with regret.Tim Nelson, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2024
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The whole scene feels freshly cut from some conversation in an undergrad gender studies class in the year 2024—the kind of conversation said undergrads will someday look back on and cringe over.Erik Kain, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Unlike a regular low-budget diner, sitting at an empty booth gave you scowls and little or no service.Ana Gutierrez, Austin American-Statesman, 31 Oct. 2024
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The New Orleans rapper was shirtless in both photos, sporting an incredulous expression in the first and an angry scowl in the second.Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 11 Sep. 2024
Noun
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With his bluesy, rangy growl, Stapleton has a once-in-a-generation voice and Combs has been the only male vocalist who has been able to break his strangle-hold on the category, winning in 2019 and 2020.Melinda Newman, Billboard, 18 Nov. 2024
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And aside from Kendall’s growl, his voice is average.Charlie Mason, TVLine, 21 Oct. 2024
Noun
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In her trademark cat-eye glasses, with her bitter-lemon moue, Hoffman, as Moth, is comedy just standing there; Harada, as Mustardseed, a warmth machine.New York Times, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2021
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Not just any moue, either, but a supermoue—a whole cultural attitude distilled into a single boffff.Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2020
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Cite this Entry
“Wince.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wince. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.
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