Third-person singular present tense of flinch; moves back involuntarily in response to pain, fear, or surprise.
From 'flinch' plus the third-person singular suffix '-es.' The base verb possibly derives from Dutch or French origins meaning to retreat or jerk back.
The phrase 'he flinches' appears constantly in literature as shorthand for a character's hidden emotions—a flinch can reveal fear, guilt, or vulnerability that the character is trying to hide.
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