recoil

English

Etymology

From Old French reculer. Further from Latin re- + cūlus.

Pronunciation

• (verb)
  • IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈkɔɪl/

    • Audio (Southern England):

      (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

  • Rhymes: -ɔɪl
• (noun)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈɹiːkɔɪl/

    • Audio (Southern England):

      (file)

Noun

recoil (countable and uncountable, plural recoils)

Recoil (sense 3) causes this pistol to deflect upwards.

1. A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking.

   the recoil of nature, or of the blood

2. The state or condition of having recoiled.
   • 1850, Frederick William Robertson, second address delivered to the members of the Working Men's Institute, Brighton:

     The recoil from formalism is skepticism.

3. (firearms) The energy transmitted back to the shooter from a firearm which has fired. Recoil is a function of the weight of the weapon, the weight of the projectile, and the speed at which it leaves the muzzle.
4. An escapement in which, after each beat, the scape-wheel recoils slightly.

Synonyms

• (firearms): kick

Derived terms

• antirecoil
• counterrecoil
• nonrecoil
• recoilless
• recoil pad
• recoil spring
• recoil start
• subrecoil

Translations

pushback from a fired firearm

• Bulgarian: откат (bg) m (otkat)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 後坐力 / 后坐力 (zh) (hòuzuòlì), 後坐 / 后坐 (zh) (hòuzuò), 後座力 / 后座力 (zh) (hòuzuòlì)

• Czech: zpětný ráz m
• Danish: rekyl c
• Dutch: terugslag (nl) c
• Faroese: baksláttur m
• Finnish: rekyyli (fi), potkaisu (fi)
• French: recul (fr) m
• German: Rückstoß (de) m, Rückschlag (de) m
• Italian: rinculo (it) m
• Japanese: 反動 (ja) (はんどう, handō), 後座 (ja) (こうざ, kōza)
• Macedonian: отскок m (otskok)
• Māori: whana
• Norwegian: rekyl m, tilbakeslag n, tilbakestøt n, tilbakevirkning m
• Occitan: recul m
• Polish: odrzut (pl) m
• Portuguese: coice (pt) m, recuo (pt) m
• Romanian: recul (ro) n
• Russian: отда́ча (ru) f (otdáča), отка́т (ru) m (otkát)
• Spanish: retroceso (es) m, culatazo (es) m, coz (es) f
• Swedish: rekyl (sv) c
• Tagalog: balisikad

Verb

recoil (third-person singular simple present recoils, present participle recoiling, simple past and past participle recoiled) (intransitive)

1. To pull back, especially in disgust, horror or astonishment. [from 16th c.]

   He recoiled in disgust when he saw the mess.

   • 2025 December 11, Charlie Campbell, Andrew R. Chow and Billy Perrigo, “The Architects of AI Are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year”, in Time‎^[1]:

     For decades, humankind steeled itself for the rise of thinking machines. As we marveled at their ability to beat chess champions and predict protein structures, we also recoiled from their inherent uncanniness, not to mention the threats to our sense of humanity.

2. (archaic) To recoil before an opponent. [from 14th c.]
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto XI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     that rude rout […] forced them, how ever strong and stout / They were, as well approv'd in many a doubt, / Backe to recule […]

3. (weaponry) Of a firearm: to quickly push back when fired.
4. (obsolete) To retire, withdraw. [15th–18th c.]
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     Ye both forwearied be: therefore a whyle / Iread you rest, and to your bowres recoyle.

   • 1591, Ed[mund] Sp[enser], “Prosopopoia. Or Mother Hubberds Tale.”, in Complaints. Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie. […], London: […] William Ponsonbie, […], →OCLC, signature O2, verso:

     Thus vvhen this Courtly Gentleman vvith toyle / Himſelfe hath vvearied, he doth recoyle / Vnto his reſt, and there vvith ſvveete delight / Of Muſicks skill reuiues his toyled ſpright, […]

   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:

     Her will, recoiling to her better judgement

   • 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC:

     Evil on itself shall back recoil.

   • 1648, Robert Herrick, “A Panegerick to Sir Lewis Pemberton”, in Hesperides: Or, The Works both Humane & Divine […], London: […] John Williams, and Francis Eglesfield, and are to be sold by Tho[mas] Hunt, […], →OCLC, page 169:

     Manners knovvs diſtance, and a man unrude / VVo'd ſoon recoile, and not intrude / His Stomach to a ſecond Meale.

   • 1838, Thomas De Quincey, The Household Wreck:

     The solemnity of her demeanor made it impossible […] that we should recoil into our ordinary spirits.

Alternative forms

• recoyle (obsolete)

Derived terms

• recoiler
• recoilingly
• unrecoiling

Translations

to pull back, especially in disgust, horror or astonishment

• Bulgarian: отдръпвам се (otdrǎpvam se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 後退 / 后退 (zh) (hòutuì), 畏縮 / 畏缩 (zh) (wèisuō)

• Czech: stáhnout se pf, odtáhnout se pf, ucuknout pf, zhrozit se (cs) pf
• Danish: trække sig tilbage (da)
• Dutch: terugtrekken (nl), terugdeinzen (nl), terugschrikken (nl)
• Finnish: hätkähtää (fi)
• French: reculer (fr)
• German: zurückschrecken (de)
• Hungarian: visszahőköl (hu), hátrahőköl (hu), elborzad (hu), visszaretten (hu), elretten (hu), megrökönyödik (hu), eliszonyodik (hu)
• Italian: ritrarsi
• Japanese: 跳ね返る (ja) (はねかえる, hanekaeru)
• Latin: recellō
• Māori: eti, komi, maopo
• Norwegian: rekylere, spenne tilbake, sprette tilbake, springe tilbake, trekke seg tilbake, gyse tilbake
• Occitan: recular (oc)
• Portuguese: recuo, coice (da arma), recuar (pt)
• Romanian: recula (ro)
• Russian: отпря́дывать (ru) (otprjádyvatʹ) (impf. form is rare) impf, отпря́нуть (ru) pf (otprjánutʹ), отша́тываться (ru) impf (otšátyvatʹsja), отшатну́ться (ru) pf (otšatnútʹsja)
• Serbo-Croatian: устукнути (ustuknuti)
• Spanish: echarse atrás, recular (es)
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: پوصمق (pusmak) (in fear)

of a firearm, to push back

• Bulgarian: отскачам (bg) (otskačam), давам откат (davam otkat)
• Catalan: recular (ca)
• Czech: kopnout (cs) pf
• Finnish: potkaista (fi)
• German: zurückschlagen (de), einen Ruckschlag erzeugen
• Hungarian: visszarúg (hu), hátrarúg (hu)
• Irish: frithbhuail
• Italian: rinculare (it)
• Macedonian: отскокнува (otskoknuva)
• Māori: whana, tupana, turapa
• Romanian: recula (ro)
• Spanish: recular (es), dar culatazo, diñar coz
• Welsh: adlamu

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Woiwurrung: ^{(please verify)} yurrder-boon

Anagrams

• coiler