: a facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain
a grimace of hate and rage
grimacer
noun
grimaced; grimacing
: to distort one's face in an expression usually of pain, disgust, or disapproval
Grimacing slightly, he runs his finger over the back of his heel, where a deep … fissure has opened inside a callus.—
Chris Ballard
Chris BallardMy father shifted his weight and grimaced. The sheet slid off his injured leg, the calf swollen, purple as a plum …—Bernard Cooper
Bernard Cooper
Synonyms
Examples of grimace in a Sentence
Noun
The patient made a painful grimace as the doctor examined his wound.
he made a grimace when he tasted the medicine
Recent Examples on the WebChris Willman, Variety, 13 Aug. 2023
But with every putt that rolls away a near miss instead of for birdie, the world sees another McIlroy grimace, another ambition slipping a bit farther away.
—Alan Blinder, New York Times, 21 July 2023
Then there's the off-putting grimace on the face of the Grand Rapids Griffins Barbie or the misshapen nature of the San Diego Gulls Barbie.
—Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 12 July 2023
Arbery sat up, listened, watched his friends with a smile that could quickly and without warning become a grimace.
—Chloé Cooper Jones, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2022
Over video, what passed over her face, hearing that time estimate, could be called a grimace.
—Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 26 June 2023
After that, though, his face only registers effort through a few slight grimaces.
—Ismail Muhammad, New York Times, 12 May 2023
Both teams slipped off into a rainy night with glares and grimaces.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023
For others, back pain is less sudden or acute but still causes frequent trips to the medicine cabinet or grimaces of discomfort.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023
Peter Marks, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2023
Washington coach Ron Rivera kept his offensive starters in for the game's first 30 minutes, and not without risk; wide receiver Terry McLaurin grimaced while leaving the field with a toe injury.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 22 Aug. 2023
My dad grimaced during our team’s first game, wiping his twitchy eyes with a bandana.
—Teresa Strasser, Good Housekeeping, 9 Aug. 2023
The singer downed a good half of it, grimaced (relatable), then passed the rest off to her guitarist, who finished it with a mighty swig.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2023
That caused lawmakers to grimace in shock, while some responded with boos and angry cries.
—Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 28 June 2023
The comment causes Andy and Lisa to grimace, and everyone in the room to be disgusted with him, even Schwartz.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2023
Josh Rojas paced around the infield dirt, eventually grimacing and dropping into a crouch.
—Theo MacKie, The Arizona Republic, 4 June 2023
Davis grabbed at his head grimacing before going to the locker room.
—Janie McCauley, ajc, 11 May 2023
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Noun
Jones was recalling this unconsummated Hollywood courtship with a smile, not a grimace.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Aug. 2023
But with every putt that rolls away a near miss instead of for birdie, the world sees another McIlroy grimace, another ambition slipping a bit farther away.
—Alan Blinder, New York Times, 21 July 2023
Then there's the off-putting grimace on the face of the Grand Rapids Griffins Barbie or the misshapen nature of the San Diego Gulls Barbie.
—Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 12 July 2023
Arbery sat up, listened, watched his friends with a smile that could quickly and without warning become a grimace.
—Chloé Cooper Jones, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2022
Over video, what passed over her face, hearing that time estimate, could be called a grimace.
—Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 26 June 2023
After that, though, his face only registers effort through a few slight grimaces.
—Ismail Muhammad, New York Times, 12 May 2023
Both teams slipped off into a rainy night with glares and grimaces.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023
For others, back pain is less sudden or acute but still causes frequent trips to the medicine cabinet or grimaces of discomfort.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023
Verb
At times, Snyder and other dancers had to stop in the middle of a sequence, grimacing and shaking their heads.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2023
Washington coach Ron Rivera kept his offensive starters in for the game's first 30 minutes, and not without risk; wide receiver Terry McLaurin grimaced while leaving the field with a toe injury.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 22 Aug. 2023
My dad grimaced during our team’s first game, wiping his twitchy eyes with a bandana.
—Teresa Strasser, Good Housekeeping, 9 Aug. 2023
The singer downed a good half of it, grimaced (relatable), then passed the rest off to her guitarist, who finished it with a mighty swig.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2023
That caused lawmakers to grimace in shock, while some responded with boos and angry cries.
—Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 28 June 2023
The comment causes Andy and Lisa to grimace, and everyone in the room to be disgusted with him, even Schwartz.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2023
Josh Rojas paced around the infield dirt, eventually grimacing and dropping into a crouch.
—Theo MacKie, The Arizona Republic, 4 June 2023
Davis grabbed at his head grimacing before going to the locker room.
—Janie McCauley, ajc, 11 May 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grimace.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
French, from Middle French, alteration of grimache, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English grīma mask
Dictionary Entries Near grimace
Cite this Entry
“Grimace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grimace. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
grimace
noun
grim·ace
ˈgrim-əs,
grim-ˈās
: facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain
grimace
verb
More from Merriam-Webster on grimace
Nglish: Translation of grimace for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of grimace for Arabic Speakers
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