The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Recoil \Re*coil"\ (r[-e]*koil"), v. t.
   To draw or go back. [Obs.] --Spenser.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Recoil \Re*coil"\, n.
   1. A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking; as,
      the recoil of nature, or of the blood.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. The state or condition of having recoiled.
      [1913 Webster]

            The recoil from formalism is skepticism. --F. W.
                                                  Robertson.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Specifically, the reaction or rebounding of a firearm when
      discharged.
      [1913 Webster]

   Recoil dynamometer (Gunnery), an instrument for measuring
      the force of the recoil of a firearm.

   Recoil escapement. See the Note under Escapement.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Recoil \Re*coil"\ (r[-e]*koil"), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Recoiled
   (r[-e]*koild"); p. pr. & vb. n. Recoiling.] [OE. recoilen,
   F. reculer, fr. L. pref. re- re- + culus the fundament. The
   English word was perhaps influenced in form by accoil.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. To start, roll, bound, spring, or fall back; to take a
      reverse motion; to be driven or forced backward; to
      return.
      [1913 Webster]

            Evil on itself shall back recoil.     --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

            The solemnity of her demeanor made it impossible . .
            . that we should recoil into our ordinary spirits.
                                                  --De Quincey.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To draw back, as from anything repugnant, distressing,
      alarming, or the like; to shrink. --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To turn or go back; to withdraw one's self; to retire.
      [Obs.] "To your bowers recoil." --Spenser.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

recoil
    n 1: the backward jerk of a gun when it is fired [syn: recoil,
         kick]
    2: a movement back from an impact [syn: recoil,
       repercussion, rebound, backlash]
    v 1: draw back, as with fear or pain; "she flinched when they
         showed the slaughtering of the calf" [syn: flinch,
         squinch, funk, cringe, shrink, wince, recoil,
         quail]
    2: come back to the originator of an action with an undesired
       effect; "Your comments may backfire and cause you a lot of
       trouble" [syn: backfire, backlash, recoil]
    3: spring back; spring away from an impact; "The rubber ball
       bounced"; "These particles do not resile but they unite after
       they collide" [syn: bounce, resile, take a hop,
       spring, bound, rebound, recoil, reverberate,
       ricochet]
    4: spring back, as from a forceful thrust; "The gun kicked back
       into my shoulder" [syn: kick back, recoil, kick]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

190 Moby Thesaurus words for "recoil":
   about the bush, antagonism, antipathy, avoid, avoidance, backfire,
   backlash, backlashing, backwash, balk, bashfulness, beat around,
   beg the question, blanch, blench, blink, boggle, boggling,
   boomerang, bounce, bounce back, bound, bound back, cannon,
   cannon off, carom, clashing, clout, collision, comeback,
   compunction, conflict, confutation, contradiction, contraposition,
   contrariety, contrecoup, counter, counteraction, counterblast,
   counterblow, counterposition, counterstroke, counterworking,
   crankiness, cringe, crotchetiness, demur, demurral, diffidence,
   disapprove of, dissent, dodge, draw back, duck, equivocate, evade,
   evasion, exchange, fade, fall back, fallback, falter, faltering,
   fence, fight shy of, flinch, fly back, force, friction, funk,
   give-and-take, grimace, hang back, hang off, have qualms,
   have repercussions, hedge, hem and haw, hesitance, hesitancy,
   hesitate, hesitation, hold off, impact, impress, impression,
   imprint, interchange, interference, jib, kick, kick back, kickback,
   lash back, look askance at, make bones about, mark, modesty,
   nonconformity, objection, opposition, opposure, oppugnance,
   oppugnancy, parry, pause, perverseness, print, protest, pull away,
   pull back, pullback, pullout, pussyfoot, put off, quail, quake,
   qualm, qualm of conscience, qualmishness, reaction, rebound,
   rebuff, recalcitrance, recalcitrate, recalcitration, reciprocation,
   reel back, reflex, renitency, repercuss, repercussion, reply,
   repugnance, repulse, resile, resilience, resistance, response,
   retaliation, retort, retreat, return, revolt, revolt at, ricochet,
   scruple, scrupulosity, scrupulousness, shake, sheer off, shift,
   shift off, show distaste for, shrink, shrink back, shrink from,
   shrinking, shudder, shudder at, shy, shy at, shy away, shy off,
   shyness, sidestep, sidestepping, snap back, spring, spring back,
   squinch, start, start aside, start back, step aside, stick,
   stick at, stickle, stickling, strain, swerve, swimming upstream,
   tremble, turn aside, ward off, waver, weasel, weasel out, wince