Link Centre Dictionary

wince

UK/wɪns/ US/ˈwɪns/ fairly common
verb (2) noun (2)

verb

1.

draw back, as with fear or pain

  • “she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf”
Synonyms
2.

make a face indicating disgust or dislike

  • “She winced when she heard his pompous speech”

noun

1.
2.

Origin

From Middle English wyncen, from Anglo-Norman winchir (compare Old French guenchir), from Frankish *wankjan, related to *winkijan (“to flex, bend”). See also German winken.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.