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
Greta Bjornson, People.com, 2 May 2025
When the great inflation hit in the late 1960s, averaging about 9 percent for 13 years, these now silent grinning school districts were paying four percent on their huge long-term obligations.
—Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Katie Chang, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
His expressions of sideways grins and head shakes were spotlighted through a series of film clips shown throughout the show depicting Lamar being interrogated about the meaning of his lyrics and SZA (born Solána Imani Rowe) humorously explaining how to pronounce her stage name.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grin
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Her mom, Kate Middleton, marked the young royal's milestone by capturing a photo of Charlotte sporting a camo jacket and grinning outdoors.
—Greta Bjornson, People.com, 2 May 2025
When the great inflation hit in the late 1960s, averaging about 9 percent for 13 years, these now silent grinning school districts were paying four percent on their huge long-term obligations.
—Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Noun
And based on the relaxed grins splashed on our faces afterwards: mission accomplished.
—Katie Chang, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
His expressions of sideways grins and head shakes were spotlighted through a series of film clips shown throughout the show depicting Lamar being interrogated about the meaning of his lyrics and SZA (born Solána Imani Rowe) humorously explaining how to pronounce her stage name.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grin
Cite this Entry
“Grin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grin. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
grin
verb
grinned; grinning
: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in laughter
grin
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share