to shrink back
4
4.7
- phrasal verb
- /ʃrɪŋk bæk/
- Informal
- The dog suddenly shrinks back in fear and decides it's time to leave.
- shrinking back against the wall
- want to shrink back
- begins to shrink back
Examples
-
I have found that when I talk to other teacher-librarians about our policy, they shrink back in fear.
Academic text (2011) -
The children gaped at it, shrinking back, fascinated and horrified.
Fiction book (1997) -
The subtle crush of greenery confirms his discovery, and he shrinks back, crouching.
Academic text (2007) -
A woman curled up under a pile of dirty blankets peers out as I pass and instinctively shrinks back into her nest.
Fiction book (2001) -
When he saw the giant spider, he couldn't help but shrink back in fear.
-
The children shrunk back when the loud thunder cracked above them.
-
As the storm grew worse, she began to shrink back from the open window.
Synonyms
443
2.8
Move away from someone, or stop taking part in something
320
3.4
To move yourself and things backward from a place, person, or situation
225
4.0
To move back from a place or plan to avoid danger
153
3.5
To move away from people or a place to create space
111
3.9
Stop supporting or taking part in a plan because you feel unsure
46
4.6
Avoid doing something because you feel afraid or unsure
42
4.1
To move backwards away from something because of fear or surprise
38
2.3
Move back suddenly because of fear or pain
23
5.1
To pull back quickly because you are afraid or to show you give up
11
5.1
Avoid doing something difficult or unpleasant because you are afraid
2
6.8
To shrink back and crouch because you feel very afraid
2
7.2
To move back and make your body smaller because you are afraid of something
1
9.8
To become quiet and avoid people when feeling stressed or afraid
Antonyms
How Withdrawn
225
4.0
25
4.9
- Informal
4
4.7
64
4.1
93
3.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to move away or withdraw because of fear or disgust' is directly derivable from combining 'shrink' (to recoil or flinch) with 'back' (toward the rear). This motion verb + directional particle pattern is compositional and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will likely infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrasal verb shrink back gives a clear picture: someone makes themselves smaller (shrink) and steps backward (back) when they see something scary or disgusting. So it came to mean 'to move away or withdraw from something because of fear or disgust'.