grin

1 of 2

verb

ˈgrin 

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

ˈgri-niŋ-lē 

adverb

grin

2 of 2

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

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

Synonyms of grin

Verb

• smile
• laugh

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

Verb

Bo grinned, staring at the pale-blue walls of the large classroom. — Min Jin Lee, New Yorker, 19 July 2026

But the real star of her segment were her adorable backup dancers, the Ugandan dance troupe Ghetto Kids, who grinned throughout the number. — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 19 July 2026

Noun

Clad in the world champion’s rainbows, Evenepoel clenched both his fists, beamed a toothy grin, and hugged his soigneur. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Eventually, Nguyen told me with a mischievous grin, Olive started improving itself, writing its own code and pushing over 30,000 updates. — Margaux MacColl, Vanity Fair, 14 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1565, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing grin

• grin and bear it
• grin from ear to ear
• wear a silly grin/smile on one's face
• wipe the grin off his face

Rhymes for grin

• been
• bin
• chin
• din
• djinn
• fin
• finn
• gin
• in
• kin
• linn
• linne

Kids Definition

grin

verb

ˈgrin 

grinned; grinning

: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in laughter

grin noun