1. (v.i.)recoil to start or shrink back, as in alarm, horror, or disgust.
2. recoil to spring or fly back, as in consequence of force of impact or of a discharge of ammunition: The rifle recoiled with a powerful slam.
3. recoil to spring or come back; rebound (usu. fol. by on or upon): plots recoiling upon the plotters.
4. recoil to undergo a change in momentum as a result either of a collision with an atom, a nucleus, or a particle or of the emission of a particle.
5. (n.)recoil the act or an instance of recoiling.
6. recoil the distance through which a weapon moves backward after discharging.
Etymology: (1175–1225; ME recoilen, reculen < OF reculer=re-re - +-culer, v. der. of cul rump)
Definition of 'Recoil'
Princeton's WordNet
1. (noun)recoil, kick the backward jerk of a gun when it is fired
2. (verb)recoil, repercussion, rebound, backlash a movement back from an impact
3. (verb)flinch, squinch, funk, cringe, shrink, wince, recoil, quail draw back, as with fear or pain "she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf"
4. (verb)backfire, backlash, recoil come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect "Your comments may backfire and cause you a lot of trouble"
5. (verb)bounce, resile, take a hop, spring, bound, rebound, recoil, reverberate, ricochet spring back; spring away from an impact "The rubber ball bounced"; "These particles do not resile but they unite after they collide"
6. (verb)kick back, recoil, kick spring back, as from a forceful thrust "The gun kicked back into my shoulder"
Definition of 'Recoil'
Webster Dictionary
1. (noun)Recoil a starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking; as, the recoil of nature, or of the blood
2. (noun)Recoil the state or condition of having recoiled
3. (noun)Recoil specifically, the reaction or rebounding of a firearm when discharged
4. (verb)Recoil to start, roll, bound, spring, or fall back; to take a reverse motion; to be driven or forced backward; to return
5. (verb)Recoil to draw back, as from anything repugnant, distressing, alarming, or the like; to shrink
6. (verb)Recoil to turn or go back; to withdraw one's self; to retire
Definitions of Recoil 
Afrikaans: terugdeins
Arabic: يَرْتَد إلى الوَرَاء خوفا
Bulgarian: отдръпвам се
Brazilian: recuar
Czech: couvnout
German: zurückprallen
Danish: vige tilbage
Greek: τραβιέμαι, κάνω πίσω
Spanish: recular
Estonian: tagasi kohkuma
Farsi: پس کشیدن؛ پس افتادن
Finnish: kavahtaa
French: reculer (devant)
Hebrew: לְהֵירָתַע
Hindi: पीछे हटना
Croatian: ustuknuti od, zgroziti se
Hungarian: visszahőköl
Indonesian: mundur
Icelandic: hrökkva undan
Italian: indietreggiare
Japanese: 後戻りする
Korean: 물러나다
Lithuanian: atšokti
Latvian: novērsties
Malay: berundur
Dutch: terugdeizen
Norwegian: springe/vike tilbake
Polish: odskoczyć
Persian: پس کشیدن؛ پس افتادن
Pashto: په څټ كيدل، ترشاكيدل، په 
Portuguese: recuar
Romanian: a se daînapoi (în faţa)
Russian: отдохнуть
Slovak: cúvnuť; zaraziť sa
Slovenian: odskočiti
Serbian: uzmaknuti
Swedish: rygga, vika tillbaka
Thai: ถอยหลัง
Turkish: ürkmek, ürküp geri çekilm
Taiwanese: (因驚恐或害怕)畏縮，退縮
Ukrainian: відскочити, відсахнутися
Urdu: پیچھے ہٹنا
Vietnamese: lùi lại
Chinese: 后退，退却
