1. Spring back, as from a forceful thrust
   "The gun recoiled into my shoulder";
   - kick back, kick
    
2. Move back in a roughly opposite direction after an impact
   "The rubber ball recoiled";
   - bounce, resile, spring, bound, rebound, reverberate, ricochet
    
3. Draw back, as with fear or pain
   "she recoiled when they showed the slaughtering of the calf";
   - flinch, squinch [N. Amer], funk, cringe, shrink, wince, quail, blench
    
4. Come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect
   "His harsh words recoiled upon him when the truth came out";
   - backfire, backlash

1. A movement back from an impact
   "The force of the explosion caused a violent recoil";
   - repercussion, rebound, backlash
    
2. The backward jerk of a gun when it is fired
   "The powerful rifle had a strong recoil that the shooter had to brace against";
   - kick
    
3. The act of shrinking back in fear or disgust
   "Her recoil from the snake was instinctive"

Derived forms: recoils, recoiling, recoiled

Type of: bound, come about, fall out, go on, hap [archaic], happen, jump, leap, motion, move, movement, occur, pass, pass off, spring, take place

Encyclopedia: Recoil