Recoil
Recoil verb - To draw back in fear, pain, or disgust.
Usage example: the social worker tried not to recoil from the sight of the cockroach in the bathtub
Shake and recoil are semantically related. in shrink away topic. In some cases you can use "Shake" instead a verb "Recoil".
Shake
Shake verb - To make a series of small irregular or violent movements.
How words are described
| full | full recoil | full shake |
| special | special recoil | special shake |
| large | large recoil | large shake |
| huge | huge recoil | huge shake |
| Other adjectives: little, slight, meaningful. | ||
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
-
A different style of Glitter Boy has a gun that can only be used by it because, without its unique stabilization system, any other mecha or vehicle would eventually shake itself apart with the recoil.
Source: BFG -
If you are leaning against a wall in a firefight, two things might happen: bullets striking the wall at a shallow angle might end up traveling along the wall and hit you, or an explosion will go off nearby and the wall will shake hard enough from the recoil to violently smash into you.
Source: Film / Black Hawk Down
Cite this Source
Shake and Recoil. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 01, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/recoil/shake
Recoil & Shake. N.p., 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/recoil/shake>.
Shake or Recoil. 2016. Accessed August 01, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/recoil/shake.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "recoil" and "shake" have occurred on timeline