Definition of grimace
:a facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain
- a grimace of hate and rage
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Recent Examples of grimace from the Web
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While some greet spectators with a grin, others are depicted with their mouths set into a hideous grimace.
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Without so much a grimace on his face to reveal the pain and exhaustion, Hunter-Reay signed the boy’s checkered flag.
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Aguayo’s face twisted into a grimace, his frustration apparent.
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With a grimace, the bug-holder slips the corpse into a plastic ziplock back, and sticks it in the freezer.
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No luck escaping without being spotted with a grimace.
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Like, the depths to hold down half a glass of (probably real) whiskey with hardly a grimace?
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But for the XLE’s unfortunate grimace of a front end, it almost could be mistaken for an entry-luxury sedan.
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People cry and laugh as the miles pass, along with some grimaces from the cramps and blisters.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grimace.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of grimace
French, from Middle French, alteration of grimache, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English grīma mask
Definition of grimace
grimaced;
grimacing
intransitive verb
: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
- My father shifted his weight and grimaced. The sheet slid off his injured leg, the calf swollen, purple as a plum …
- —Bernard Cooper
First Known Use of grimace
1762
GRIMACE Defined for Kids
Definition of grimace for Students
:a twisting of the face (as in disgust or pain)
Learn More about grimace
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See words that rhyme with grimace Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for grimace Spanish Central: Translation of grimace Nglish: Translation of grimace for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of grimace for Arabic speakers
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