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Which scenario is most likely to cause you to wince?

wince

[wins] / wɪns /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It’s taking up space that could be used for food you actually want to eat — food that nourishes you, that doesn’t make you wince a little every time you see it.

From Salon Mar. 19, 2026

Those who wince at the idea of a blue-collar career change don’t necessarily look down on people who work with their hands.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 15, 2026

Almost instantly, you might wince, make a face, or even pull your own hand away.

From Science Daily Dec. 23, 2025

City fans will wince remembering the end of 2023-24, when a late loss at home to Arsenal saw the title slip form their grasp into Chelsea's hands.

From BBC Dec. 7, 2025

I have such a sharp pain behind my left eye, I wince.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

She winces now hearing those words read aloud.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 2, 2026

Bertrand Degat, vineyard manager for French zero-alcohol wine producer French Bloom, winces visibly when recalling some of the criticism and snobbery he has encountered from his contemporaries.

From Barron's Feb. 12, 2026

In one tense scene with her white colleagues, Cosey winces at their version of historical enlightenment — the reclamation project is moving at a horse-drawn carriage’s pace.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 6, 2026

“Any time we put our arms under his legs to lift him out of his chair, he’s sore. He winces, he cries. He’s quite upset, so we know it’s causing him pain,” he says.

From BBC Jun. 18, 2024

She just winces; obviously, they’ve been here before.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Stepping into the arcade, he winced as he accidentally bumped into someone.

From Slate Jun. 25, 2026

In the first half of his first game back, Tatum flubbed a dunk and O’Malley winced.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 22, 2026

The ensuing sound of the collision's initial impact was so loud that jurors winced after being warned to decrease the volume on their listening devices.

From Barron's Feb. 2, 2026

After winning a 27-shot exchange at 4-4 0-30 down, Djokovic winced and gasped for air before bending over his towel box.

From BBC Sep. 5, 2025

Akira winced as her mother finished wrapping her burn with a gauze bandage.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

“I love bacon and chicharrónes, but I could never eat pork uterus,” I confess, wincing at our 60” Insignia television screen.

From Salon Jun. 15, 2026

Sinner took lengthy off-court breaks at the end of each set, but continued to struggle, walking gingerly, wincing and hunching over his racquet between points.

From BBC May 28, 2026

On the one hand, they cheered the clampdown on cheaper Asian imports but on the other were left wincing at the rising costs of their inputs.

From Barron's Jan. 31, 2026

Joyce Kim, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, remembers coming to campus as an undergrad and wincing at the flurry of finance and consulting clubs.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 15, 2025

“Break into a Gringotts vault?” repeated the goblin, wincing a little as he shifted his position upon the bed.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling




Vocabulary lists containing wince


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