wince at (something)
To grimace, flinch, or tense up as a response (often involuntary) to some source of pain or discomfort or something disagreeable. My daughter winced at the injection, but she didn't cry. I sat through the entire dinner wincing at my dad's terrible jokes.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
wince at something
to shrink back because of something, such as pain. She winced at the pain but did not cry out. After he had just winced at the pain for a while, he finally screamed.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
wince at
v. To shrink or tense up involuntarily in response to something that causes pain, distress, or discomfort: I winced at this month's phone bill.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.