2 uses
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Definition
to move backward suddenly (sometimes figuratively)
especially:
- the backward jerk of a gun or cannon when it is fired
- when a person flinches (suddenly draws back) from someone or something, as with fear, disgust, or pain
- when a person is emotionally repulsed, as by disgust
- when something intended to go in one direction figuratively falls back in the opposite direction; for example, a story told to hurt someone that comes back to hurt the teller
- Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another.Adventure VIII — The Adventure of the Speckled Band (92% in)
- The banker recoiled in horror.Adventure XI — The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet (62% in)
There are no more uses of "recoil" in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Typical Usage
(best examples)