The infantry flinched as the cavalry started toward them but stood fast. Shirley Hibberd never flinched from argument if he felt justified in his own position. Sir Redvers flinched when he saw he was the only layman. When the French flinched before the deadly fire, the British attacked with the bayonet. Those who know me and about me haven't flinched. Liberal Democrats, too, flinched before Brown. H. L. Mencken rarely flinched from controversy.