Flinch

v. i.	1.	To withdraw from any suffering or undertaking, from pain or danger; to fail in doing or perserving; to show signs of yielding or of suffering; to shrink; to wince; as, one of the parties flinched from the combat. [imp. & p. p. Flinched ; p. pr. & vb. n. Flinching.] A child, by a constant course of kindness, may be accustomed to bear very rough usage without flinching or complaining. - Locke.
	2.	(Croquet) To let the foot slip from a ball, when attempting to give a tight croquet.
n.	1.	The act of flinching.

Noun	1.	flinch - a reflex response to sudden pain Synonyms: wince
Verb	1.	flinch - draw back, as with fear or pain; "she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf" Synonyms: cringe, funk, quail, recoil, wince, shrink, squinch

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