Ricochet vs. Recoil

Ricochetnoun

(military) A method of firing a projectile so that it skips along a surface.

Ricochetnoun

An instance of ricocheting; a glancing rebound.

Ricochetverb

To rebound off something wildly in a seemingly random direction.

Ricochetverb

(military) To operate upon by ricochet firing.

Ricochetnoun

A rebound or skipping, as of a ball along the ground when a gun is fired at a low angle of elevation, or of a fiat stone thrown along the surface of water.

Ricochetverb

To operate upon by ricochet firing. See Ricochet, n.

Ricochetverb

To skip with a rebound or rebounds, as a flat stone on the surface of water, or a cannon ball on the ground. See Ricochet, n.

Ricochetnoun

a glancing rebound

Ricochetverb

spring back; spring away from an impact;

Ricochet

A ricochet ( RIK-ə-shay; French: [ʁikɔʃɛ]) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost as dangerous as before the deflection.

Recoilnoun

A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking.

Recoilnoun

The state or condition of having recoiled.

Recoilnoun

(firearms) The energy transmitted back to the shooter from a firearm which has fired. Recoil is a function of the weight of the weapon, the weight of the projectile, and the speed at which it leaves the muzzle.

Recoilnoun

An escapement in which, after each beat, the scape-wheel recoils slightly.

Recoilverb

(intransitive) To pull back, especially in disgust, horror or astonishment.

Recoilverb

To retreat before an opponent.

Recoilverb

To retire, withdraw.

Recoilverb

(of a firearm) To quickly push back when fired

Recoilverb

To start, roll, bound, spring, or fall back; to take a reverse motion; to be driven or forced backward; to return.

Recoilverb

To draw back, as from anything repugnant, distressing, alarming, or the like; to shrink.

Recoilverb

To turn or go back; to withdraw one's self; to retire.

Recoilverb

To draw or go back.

Recoilnoun

A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking; as, the recoil of nature, or of the blood.

Recoilnoun

The state or condition of having recoiled.

Recoilnoun

Specifically, the reaction or rebounding of a firearm when discharged.

Recoilnoun

the backward jerk of a gun when it is fired

Recoilnoun

a movement back from an impact

Recoilverb

draw back, as with fear or pain;

Recoilverb

spring back; spring away from an impact;

Recoilverb

spring back, as from a forceful thrust;

Recoil

Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged. In technical terms, the recoil is a result of conservation of momentum, as according to Newton's third law the force required to accelerate something will evoke an equal but opposite reactional force, which means the forward momentum gained by the projectile and exhaust gases (ejectae) will be mathematically balanced out by an equal and opposite momentum exerted back upon the gun.