squinch

Plural: squinches

Noun

a small arch built across the interior angle of two walls (usually to support a spire)
A structure constructed between two adjacent walls to aid in the transition from a polygonal to a circular structure, as when a dome is constructed on top of a square room.

Verb

Verb Forms: squinched, squinching, squinches

To squint or draw one's features together.
crouch down
draw back, as with fear or pain
cross one's eyes as if in strabismus
To scrunch up (one's face, etc.).

Examples

He had to SQUINCH his eyes to read the tiny print on the challenge rules.

Origin / Etymology

Alteration of earlier scunch (“back part of the side of an opening”), short for scuncheon.

Synonyms

cringe, flinch, funk, quail, recoil, shrink, squint, wince

Scrabble Score: 21

squinch: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
squinch: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
squinch: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 23

squinch: valid Words With Friends Word