grinned; grinning
: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in amusement or laughter
grinner
noun
plural grins
: a facial expression produced by grinning especially in pleasure or amusement
a happy grin
She grew into a nimble young girl of seven winters, a thoughtful girl with shining brown eyes and a wide grin …—
Louise Erdrich
Louise ErdrichI wanted to wipe the grin off his face [=make him stop smiling.]
Examples of grin in a Sentence
Verb
She continued to tease her brother, grinning wickedly.
grinned at the kids' fooling around in the pool
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Seated backstage in a small dressing room, Tweedy grinned beneath a mop of fuzzy hair.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 18 Mar. 2026
When the camera panned to Sinners director Ryan Coogler, his grin reflected the celebration and preservation of culture that his film represents.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grin
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Verb
The footage also showed a man on the ground in handcuffs who appeared to be grinning, the outlet reported.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Seated backstage in a small dressing room, Tweedy grinned beneath a mop of fuzzy hair.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
His grin broke into a big smile, and why not?
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 18 Mar. 2026
When the camera panned to Sinners director Ryan Coogler, his grin reflected the celebration and preservation of culture that his film represents.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grin
Cite this Entry
“Grin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grin. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
grin
verb
grinned; grinning
: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in laughter
grin
noun
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