grin

verb \ ˈgrin \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

Definition of grin

grinned; grinning

intransitive verb

: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in amusement or laughter; broadly : smile

grinning from ear to ear

—

grinner

noun

—

grinningly

play \ˈgri-niŋ-lē\ adverb

See grin defined for English-language learners

See grin defined for kids

Examples of grin in a Sentence

She continued to tease her brother, grinning wickedly.
grinned at the kids' fooling around in the pool

Recent Examples of grin from the Web

Pinault is grinning with bemusement over Lively’s velvet and silk gown, which looks a bit like a sleeping bag.

— meagan fredette, refinery29.com, "Can You Imagine Blake Lively As Queen Cersei In Game Of Thrones?," 12 May 2018
Fierro grinned and raised his hand in acknowledgment.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Churchill Downs exercise rider uses horses as 'therapy' to beat cancer," 3 May 2018
Kidman just grinned, shook her head and buried her face in her hands.

— grace gavilanes, PEOPLE.com, "Chip Gaines Cheers On Wife Joanna Outside Today, Plus More Celeb Couples Who Are Superfans of Each Other," 25 Apr. 2018
One of the women who had already set up her mat heard my remark and grinned warmly at me.

— dana hamilton, SELF, "Doing Naked Yoga With Strangers Showed Me How Far I've Come in My Eating Disorder Recovery," 25 Apr. 2018
Try some crab stick; or Spam with kimchi gimbap; or pig’s trotters, which on the packaging gets a grinning thumbs-up from a guy in a red bow tie.

— david segal, New York Times, "Why the Pyeongchang Games Are Different From All the Others," 17 Feb. 2018
Burns treats these sessions seriously but grins the whole time, putting full effort into his shoulder presses, ab crunches, balance exercises and stationary bike rides.

— lori nickel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Chin Up: Fit For Life program at Alexian Village models benefits of keeping active," 10 Jan. 2018
Side note: How cute is Ed grinning in the background?

— kristin koch, Seventeen, "Here Are A Bunch Of Pics Of Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris Being The Cutest Couple Ever At The Billboard Music Awards," 18 May 2015
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un grinned and held hands while stepping back and forth into each other’s territory.

— peter grier, The Christian Science Monitor, "Beyond promise of united Korea, disarmament may depend on Trump," 30 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of grin

Middle English grennen, from Old English grennian; akin to Old High German grennen to snarl

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

grin Synonyms

grin

noun

Definition of grin

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

I wanted to wipe the grin off his face [=make him stop smiling.]

First Known Use of grin

1565

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

GRIN Defined for Kids

grin

verb \ ˈgrin \

Definition of grin for Students

grinned; grinning

: to smile broadly showing teeth

grin

noun

Definition of grin for Students

: a broad smile that shows teeth

Learn More about grin

See words that rhyme with grin Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for grin Spanish Central: Translation of grin Nglish: Translation of grin for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of grin for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

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grin

Definition of grin

grinner

grinningly

Examples of grin in a Sentence

Recent Examples of grin from the Web

Origin and Etymology of grin

grin Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

grin

Definition of grin

First Known Use of grin

Phrases Related to GRIN

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GRIN Defined for Kids

grin

Definition of grin for Students

grin

Definition of grin for Students

Learn More about grin

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