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.]
Synonyms
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 WebEscher Walcott, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2023
Long-haired, tanned and tattooed, Arana wore a stylish brown hat and a T-shirt with Emiliano Zapata drawn as the grinning skull logo of punk icons the Misfits.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023
In the last panel, Black Spy has snuck back around to give White Spy a swift kick in the ass, grinning triumphantly as his enemy falls headfirst into the bucket, soaked and seeing stars.
—Gyasi Hall, Longreads, 12 Sep. 2023
Walking the red carpet for the Broken Flowers premiere, the couple grinned and embraced while wearing black formal outfits.
—Emma Kershaw, Peoplemag, 10 Sep. 2023
The pic features Pamela clutching a flower while grinning broadly.
—Korin Miller, Women's Health, 25 Aug. 2023
Zdarsky said, grinning, with his typical dark humor.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Aug. 2023
When asked if the homelessness office could use more money to achieve that goal, Crossley grinned.
—Jason Beeferman, Dallas News, 30 Aug. 2023
When the two of us arrived, his sister clicked her tongue at the sight of me, and grinned at Ren.
—Bryan Washington, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2023
Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 26 Sep. 2023
Barrymore begins with a smirking grin at her camera, before her expression devolves into one of seriousness and then close to tears.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2023
Late in the match, Austin thumped two straight aces with speed and topspin that prompted a wide grin from head coach Leslie Jackson.
—Greg McKenna, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
Buffett’s daughter Delaney also cited his reveler’s spirit and winning grin in a Sept. 7 tribute posted to Instagram.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023
Kaley Cuoco’s daughter Matilda is showing off her big grin!
—Clare Fisher, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2023
Finally, the controversial square pug nose of old has been freshened with a new grille and wraparound headlamps that present kind of a smug grin to the wind.
—Frank Markus, Car and Driver, 31 Aug. 2023
Jimmy Buffett Photo: Savannah Jane Buffett There was always a sly grin, a sweetly sardonic message, in just about everything Jimmy Buffett sang or did.
—Bob Greene, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2023
With her shaggy blond tresses and mischievous grin, Ryan has long been one of our most compelling actors.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2023
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Verb
In a split photo from their restaurant trip, The Kissing Booth actress grinned while her husband kissed her forehead as the couple wrapped their arms around each other.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2023
Long-haired, tanned and tattooed, Arana wore a stylish brown hat and a T-shirt with Emiliano Zapata drawn as the grinning skull logo of punk icons the Misfits.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023
In the last panel, Black Spy has snuck back around to give White Spy a swift kick in the ass, grinning triumphantly as his enemy falls headfirst into the bucket, soaked and seeing stars.
—Gyasi Hall, Longreads, 12 Sep. 2023
Walking the red carpet for the Broken Flowers premiere, the couple grinned and embraced while wearing black formal outfits.
—Emma Kershaw, Peoplemag, 10 Sep. 2023
The pic features Pamela clutching a flower while grinning broadly.
—Korin Miller, Women's Health, 25 Aug. 2023
Zdarsky said, grinning, with his typical dark humor.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Aug. 2023
When asked if the homelessness office could use more money to achieve that goal, Crossley grinned.
—Jason Beeferman, Dallas News, 30 Aug. 2023
When the two of us arrived, his sister clicked her tongue at the sight of me, and grinned at Ren.
—Bryan Washington, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2023
Noun
My eyes dart to John Eastman, who flashes a leering grin.
—Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 26 Sep. 2023
Barrymore begins with a smirking grin at her camera, before her expression devolves into one of seriousness and then close to tears.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2023
Late in the match, Austin thumped two straight aces with speed and topspin that prompted a wide grin from head coach Leslie Jackson.
—Greg McKenna, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
Buffett’s daughter Delaney also cited his reveler’s spirit and winning grin in a Sept. 7 tribute posted to Instagram.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023
Kaley Cuoco’s daughter Matilda is showing off her big grin!
—Clare Fisher, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2023
Finally, the controversial square pug nose of old has been freshened with a new grille and wraparound headlamps that present kind of a smug grin to the wind.
—Frank Markus, Car and Driver, 31 Aug. 2023
Jimmy Buffett Photo: Savannah Jane Buffett There was always a sly grin, a sweetly sardonic message, in just about everything Jimmy Buffett sang or did.
—Bob Greene, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2023
With her shaggy blond tresses and mischievous grin, Ryan has long been one of our most compelling actors.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing grin
Dictionary Entries Near grin
Cite this Entry
“Grin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grin. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
grin
verb
grinned; grinning
: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in laughter
grin
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on grin
Nglish: Translation of grin for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of grin for Arabic Speakers
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