recoil – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of recoil

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to recoil
Participle: recoiled
Gerund: recoiling

Cognates

-

Indicative

Present

Irecoil
yourecoil
he;she;itrecoils
werecoil
yourecoil
theyrecoil

Perfect

Ihave recoiled
youhave recoiled
he;she;ithas recoiled
wehave recoiled
youhave recoiled
theyhave recoiled

Past

Irecoiled
yourecoiled
he;she;itrecoiled
werecoiled
yourecoiled
theyrecoiled

Pluperfect

Ihad recoiled
youhad recoiled
he;she;ithad recoiled
wehad recoiled
youhad recoiled
theyhad recoiled

Future

Iwill recoil
youwill recoil
he;she;itwill recoil
wewill recoil
youwill recoil
theywill recoil

Future Perfect

Iwill have recoiled
youwill have recoiled
he;she;itwill have recoiled
wewill have recoiled
youwill have recoiled
theywill have recoiled

Subjunctive

Present

Irecoil
yourecoil
he;she;itrecoil
werecoil
yourecoil
theyrecoil

Perfect

Ihave recoiled
youhave recoiled
he;she;ithave recoiled
wehave recoiled
youhave recoiled
theyhave recoiled

Imperfect

Irecoiled
yourecoiled
he;she;itrecoiled
werecoiled
yourecoiled
theyrecoiled

Pluperfect

Ihad recoiled
youhad recoiled
he;she;ithad recoiled
wehad recoiled
youhad recoiled
theyhad recoiled

Conditional

Present

Iwould recoil
youwould recoil
he;she;itwould recoil
wewould recoil
youwould recoil
theywould recoil

Perfect

Iwould have recoiled
youwould have recoiled
he;she;itwould have recoiled
wewould have recoiled
youwould have recoiled
theywould have recoiled

Imperative

yourecoil
weLet's recoil
yourecoil

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Iam recoiling
youare recoiling
he;she;itis recoiling
weare recoiling
youare recoiling
theyare recoiling

Perfect

Ihave been recoiling
youhave been recoiling
he;she;ithas been recoiling
wehave been recoiling
youhave been recoiling
theyhave been recoiling

Past

Iwas recoiling
youwere recoiling
he;she;itwas recoiling
wewere recoiling
youwere recoiling
theywere recoiling

Pluperfect

Ihad been recoiling
youhad been recoiling
he;she;ithad been recoiling
wehad been recoiling
youhad been recoiling
theyhad been recoiling

Future

Iwill be recoiling
youwill be recoiling
he;she;itwill be recoiling
wewill be recoiling
youwill be recoiling
theywill be recoiling

Future Perfect

Iwill have been recoiling
youwill have been recoiling
he;she;itwill have been recoiling
wewill have been recoiling
youwill have been recoiling
theywill have been recoiling

Conditional

Present

Iwould be recoiling
youwould be recoiling
he;she;itwould be recoiling
wewould be recoiling
youwould be recoiling
theywould be recoiling

Perfect

Iwould have been recoiling
youwould have been recoiling
he;she;itwould have been recoiling
wewould have been recoiling
youwould have been recoiling
theywould have been recoiling

Other

Verbs conjugated like 'recoil'

abandon, abduct, abear, aberr, abject, abord, abort, abound, abraid, abray, abrook, abscind, abscond, absist, absorb, abstain, abstract, accend, accent, accept, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)

Verbs similar to 'recoil'

reboil, recoal, recoin, recool, reoil, accoil, bemoil, besoil, betoil, coil,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

retreat
react, blanch, falter, blench, flinch, shrink

Additional Information

Phrasal Verbs

Etymology

From Old French reculer. Further from Latin re- + cūlus.

Verbs referencing "recoil"

Galician recuar.

Sample Sentences

  • He recoiled in disgust when he saw the mess.
  • For decades, humankind steeled itself for the rise of thinking machines. As we marveled at their ability to beat chess champions and predict protein structures, we also recoiled from their inherent uncanniness, not to mention the threats to our sense of humanity. [2025 December 11, Charlie Campbell, Andrew R. Chow and Billy Perrigo, “The Architects of AI Are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year”, in Time:]
  • that rude rout […] forced them, how ever strong and stout / They were, as well approv'd in many a doubt, / Backe to recule […] [1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto XI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:]
  • Ye both forwearied be: therefore a whyle / Iread you rest, and to your bowres recoyle. [1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:]
  • Thus vvhen this Courtly Gentleman vvith toyle / Himſelfe hath vvearied, he doth recoyle / Vnto his reſt, and there vvith ſvveete delight / Of Muſicks skill reuiues his toyled ſpright, […] [1591, Ed[mund] Sp[enser], “Prosopopoia. Or Mother Hubberds Tale.”, in Complaints. Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie. […], London: […] William Ponsonbie, […], →OCLC, signature O2, verso:]
  • Her will, recoiling to her better judgement [c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:]
  • Evil on itself shall back recoil. (Comus) [1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC:]
  • Manners knovvs diſtance, and a man unrude / VVo'd ſoon recoile, and not intrude / His Stomach to a ſecond Meale. [1648, Robert Herrick, “A Panegerick to Sir Lewis Pemberton”, in Hesperides: Or, The Works both Humane & Divine […], London: […] John Williams, and Francis Eglesfield, and are to be sold by Tho[mas] Hunt, […], →OCLC, page 169:]
  • The solemnity of her demeanor made it impossible […] that we should recoil into our ordinary spirits. [1838, Thomas De Quincey, The Household Wreck:]