From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrecoilre‧coil /rɪˈkɔɪl/ verb [intransitive] 1 MOVE/CHANGE POSITIONto move back suddenly and quickly from something you do not like or are afraid ofrecoil from/at She recoiled from his touch as if she had been slapped.2 AVOIDto feel such a strong dislike of a particular situation that you want to avoid itrecoil from/at He recoils from everything in life that demands hard work. We recoil in horror from the thought of subjecting someone to extreme pain.3 PMWif a gun recoils, it moves backwards very quickly after it has been fired —recoil /ˈriːkɔɪl/ noun [singular, uncountable] The recoil of the gun sent him flying backwards.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
recoil• She looked at the dead body and recoiled.• She saw the names of prominent corporate donors mentioned liberally throughout the library and recoiled.• They met the same tempest of shell, grape, canister, and musketry, and recoiled.• It stung her deeply and she recoiled at once.• The divorce was acrimonious; she still recoils at the name Andy.• They recoil away as if the intruder were unpleasant to them - something more than simply shading them from sunlight.• They they do not recoil from each other, but blend together in one mass.• She recoiled from his touch.• And for the rest of his life he recoiled from the popular mission and missioner.• But the Republican governors recoiled from the prospect of reopening the welfare bill for anything.recoil from/at• They they do not recoil from each other, but blend together in one mass.• She recoiled from his touch.• He recoiled from rivalry between religions.• Unfortunately for Polly's sensual self, her intellectual and emotional self recoiled at the idea, feeling angry and abused.• How Pascal would have recoiled from the modern measurements of the universe!• The divorce was acrimonious; she still recoils at the name Andy.• And for the rest of his life he recoiled from the popular mission and missioner.• But the Republican governors recoiled from the prospect of reopening the welfare bill for anything.• The MPAA ratings board recoiled at the sex scenes and gave the movie an X rating.• The recoil from this emission changes the velocity of the matter particle.recoil from/at• They they do not recoil from each other, but blend together in one mass.• He recoiled from rivalry between religions.• Unfortunately for Polly's sensual self, her intellectual and emotional self recoiled at the idea, feeling angry and abused.• How Pascal would have recoiled from the modern measurements of the universe!• The divorce was acrimonious; she still recoils at the name Andy.• And for the rest of his life he recoiled from the popular mission and missioner.• But the Republican governors recoiled from the prospect of reopening the welfare bill for anything.• The recoil from this emission changes the velocity of the matter particle.Origin recoil (1100-1200) Old French reculer, from cul “ass” 