wince
to show pain
TRANSLATION
wince = zucken, zurückschrecken wince = das Zusammenzucken --- GOOGLE INDEX wince: approximately 4,500,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Fans in São Paulo cringed and WINCED as they watched the ball deflect off the left toe of Brazilian defender Marcelo Vieira and land in the back of his own team's net, marking the first time in World Cup history that Brazil has made a goal against itself.
(International Business Times)
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I had seen the heads and faces of ten youths gashed in every direction by the keen two-edged blades, and yet had not seen a victim WINCE, nor heard a moan, or detected any fleeting expression which confessed the sharp pain the hurts were inflicting.
(A Tramp Abroad, by Mark Twain)
(International Business Times)
---
I had seen the heads and faces of ten youths gashed in every direction by the keen two-edged blades, and yet had not seen a victim WINCE, nor heard a moan, or detected any fleeting expression which confessed the sharp pain the hurts were inflicting.
(A Tramp Abroad, by Mark Twain)
Did you
know?
wince
noun, verb
- to show pain suddenly and for a short time in the face, often moving the head back at the same time
(Cambridge Dictionary)
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There are some words in our language that have many different meanings or are used in a lot of different contexts. Most dictionaries list around 30 definitions for the word "run" for instance.
Other terms are very abstract, because they mean different things to different people. And still other words are so complex that they require paragraph-long definitions.
Then we have words like "wince," which leave no room for interpretation because they describe a physical action. When you say, "I winced," it paints an immediate picture of a facial expression of sudden pain. You might wince when you get an injection at the doctor's office for instance. Or you might wince if you accidentally hit your knee against a table.
Emotions can also make you wince, such as seeing other people in pain or trouble. Watching someone trip and fall often leads to an immediate and involuntary wince (yes, wince is both a verb and a noun). Some people wince at the mere sight of a dentist's drill. Or you might wince while watching a frightening scene in a movie. In other words, wincing is caused by an unpleasant or uncomfortable feeling that can be either physical or emotional in nature.
The word stems from the Old English "wincen/winchen," meaning to recoil suddenly and from the Anglo-French "wenchir" and Old French "guenchir," to turn aside or avoid.
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SYNONYMS
blanch, cringe, cower, flinch, grimace, recoil, start
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I winced at the idea of speaking in front of such a large audience."
noun, verb
- to show pain suddenly and for a short time in the face, often moving the head back at the same time
(Cambridge Dictionary)
---
There are some words in our language that have many different meanings or are used in a lot of different contexts. Most dictionaries list around 30 definitions for the word "run" for instance.
Other terms are very abstract, because they mean different things to different people. And still other words are so complex that they require paragraph-long definitions.
Then we have words like "wince," which leave no room for interpretation because they describe a physical action. When you say, "I winced," it paints an immediate picture of a facial expression of sudden pain. You might wince when you get an injection at the doctor's office for instance. Or you might wince if you accidentally hit your knee against a table.
Emotions can also make you wince, such as seeing other people in pain or trouble. Watching someone trip and fall often leads to an immediate and involuntary wince (yes, wince is both a verb and a noun). Some people wince at the mere sight of a dentist's drill. Or you might wince while watching a frightening scene in a movie. In other words, wincing is caused by an unpleasant or uncomfortable feeling that can be either physical or emotional in nature.
The word stems from the Old English "wincen/winchen," meaning to recoil suddenly and from the Anglo-French "wenchir" and Old French "guenchir," to turn aside or avoid.
---
SYNONYMS
blanch, cringe, cower, flinch, grimace, recoil, start
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I winced at the idea of speaking in front of such a large audience."
