← Back to Fala2Me

recoil from

[/rɪˈkɔɪl frɒm/]
verb (phrasal verb)
recuar de; afastar-se de; retrair-se de
1. to move back or away from something in fear, horror, or disgust
She recoiled from the sight of the snake.
Ela recuou com horror ao ver a cobra.
2. to show reluctance or strong dislike towards something
He recoiled from the idea of betraying his friend.
Ele se afastou da ideia de trair seu amigo.
3. to physically spring back as a reaction to impact or force
The gun recoiled from the force of the shot.
A arma recuou com o impacto do disparo.
Synonyms
shrink fromflinch fromdraw back fromshy away fromwince at
Antonyms
embracewelcomeacceptapproach

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
recuar de; afastar-se de; retrair-se de
Standard usage in Brazilian Portuguese
São Paulo
recuar de; se afastar de
Common urban usage
Portugal
recuar de; afastar-se de; encolher-se de
Standard usage in European Portuguese

Related Idioms & Phrases

back away from
keep one's distance from
have nothing to do with
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →