1. (v. i.) To withdraw from any suffering or undertaking, from pain or danger; to fail in doing or persevering; to show signs of yielding or of suffering; to shrink; to wince; as, one of the parties flinched from the combat.

2. (v. i.) To let the foot slip from a ball, when attempting to give a tight croquet.

3. (n.) The act of flinching.

avoid avoidance be startled blanch blench blink boggle cower cringe demur dodge draw back draw in duck elude escape eschew evade evasion fade fall back fallback falter fight shy of funk hang back hang off have qualms hesitate hold off jib jump jump a mile make bones about pause pull back pull in pull out pullback pullout quail recede recoil reel back retire retract retreat scruple sheer off shrink shrink back shrink from shun shy shy at sidestep sidestepping squinch start start aside start back startle stick at stickle strain swerve turn aside waver weasel weasel out wince withdraw