shying

verb

present participle of shy
as in flinching

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shying
  1. flinching
  2. recoiling
  3. wincing
  4. shrinking
Verb
  • In my experience, automation becomes commercially viable not when failures disappear, but when the system is built to handle them without flinching.
    — Shivansh Inamdar, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Amy Adams’ Anna Bowden — who has a complicated history with Max as his former lawyer — peeks through the curtain to spy on him, flinching as Max insists on snapping his own broken finger into place.
    — Benjamin VanHoose, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
Definition of flinching
Verb
  • But some lawmakers on Capitol Hill who would write the laws regulating the industry are recoiling at the suggestion of an antitrust carveout.
    — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
  • All of these features make for a wonderfully light-recoiling shotgun.
    — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of recoiling
Verb
  • Driver Danya Lloyd-Santiago says her wallet is wincing this Labor Day, while filling up her tank for her commute.
    — Darius Johnson, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • At various points in the match, Djokovic was seen vomiting and wincing in pain.
    — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of wincing
Verb
  • Experts point to busier schedules, parenting demands, shrinking friendship networks and the appeal of at-home entertainment as some possible reasons for the decline.
    — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Banks that limit their sourcing to other banks are competing for a shrinking pool of people who already think the way the industry has always thought.
    — Paul Davis, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of shrinking
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

shy (from or away from)
shying
shying (from or away from)
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Cite this Entry

“Shying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shying. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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