If you flinch from something unpleasant, you are unwilling to do it or think about it, or you avoid doing it. The world community should not flinch in the face of this challenge He has never flinched from harsh financial decisions
If you flinch, you make a small sudden movement, especially when something surprises you or hurts you. Murat had looked into the eyes of the firing squad without flinching The sharp surface of the rock caught at her skin, making her flinch
To withdraw from any suffering or undertaking, from pain or danger; to fail in doing or perserving; to show signs of yielding or of suffering; to shrink; to wince; as, one of the parties flinched from the combat