- (v.t.) To draw or go back.
- (n.) The state or condition of having recoiled.
- (n.) Specifically, the reaction or rebounding of a firearm when discharged.
- (v.i.) To draw back, as from anything repugnant, distressing, alarming or the like; to shrink.
- (v.i.) To turn or go back; to withdraw one's self; to retire.
- (v.i.) To start, roll, bound, spring or fall back; to take a reverse motion; to be driven or forced backward; to return.
- (n.) A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking; as, the recoil of nature or of the blood.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). recoil. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/recoil/definitions/2053237 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "recoil" http://smartdefine.org/recoil/definitions/2053237 (accessed September 24, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, recoil, Smart Define, viewed 24 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/recoil/definitions/2053237>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "recoil" 27 May 2011. Web. 24 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/recoil/definitions/2053237> |