Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged.

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recoil, shrink, flinch, wince, blench, quail mean to draw back in fear or distaste. recoil implies a start or movement away through shock, fear, or disgust.

us / ˈri·kɔɪl, rɪˈkɔɪl / the sudden, backward movement that a gun makes when it is fired (Definition of recoil from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

The recoil of a gun is the quick backward movement that it makes when it is fired. I assembled the weapon, checked the firing and recoil mechanism and loaded it.

RECOIL meaning: 1 : to quickly move away from something that is shocking, frightening, or disgusting to react to something with shock or fear often used figuratively; 2 : to move back suddenly when fired

A firearm’s recoil is the rearward force of a firearm that is the direct result of firing a round. Essentially it is the “equal and opposite reaction” to the force generated to fire a round forward through the barrel.

Definition of recoil verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Recoil is the backward movement experienced by an object when it expels another object, typically observed in firearms or rockets. This phenomenon occurs due to Newton's third law of motion, which …

1. To spring back, as upon firing. 2. To shrink back, as in fear or repugnance. 3. To fall back; return: "Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent" (Arthur Conan Doyle).