| Library / English Dictionary |
SQUINCH
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A small arch built across the interior angle of two walls (usually to support a spire)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("squinch" is a kind of...):
arch ((architecture) a masonry construction (usually curved) for spanning an opening and supporting the weight above it)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "squinch"):
trumpet arch (a conical squinch)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Cross one's eyes as if in strabismus
Example:
The children squinted so as to scare each other
Synonyms:
squinch; squint
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Hypernyms (to "squinch" is one way to...):
grimace; make a face; pull a face (contort the face to indicate a certain mental or emotional state)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Sense 2
Meaning:
Draw back, as with fear or pain
Example:
she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf
Synonyms:
cringe; flinch; funk; quail; recoil; shrink; squinch; wince
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "squinch" is one way to...):
move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "squinch"):
retract; shrink back (pull away from a source of disgust or fear)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Sense 3
Meaning:
Crouch down
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "squinch" is one way to...):
bend; bow; crouch; stoop (bend one's back forward from the waist on down)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
