grin

1 of 2

verb

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 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 grinLouise Erdrich
I 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
Verb
The moment itself was comical, with Ohtani sheepishly grinning as Smith, manager Dave Roberts and special assistant Ron Roenicke laughed in amazement nearby. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024 Barrymore grinned ear-to-ear the entire ride, waving out the window while the Wienermobile’s jingle horn played the Oscar Mayer theme song aloud. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024 Enfield grinned after the game, when asked for the morbidity of his thoughts in the moment. Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 16 Feb. 2024 Now Ford’s binoculars came to rest on Tobin Rote, Bobby Layne’s backup, who was firing warm-up passes, grinning, chattering with coaches. Bill Morris, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024 After 60 seconds, Esten won by 3 points and grinned as the crowd applauded. Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 Auburn coach Bruce Pearl grinned when told after the game. Eric W. Bolin, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2024 While gamely playing the many comedy Everyman roles his general appearance and demeanor suggest him for, Sudeikis loved leaning into the strange as much as costars Will Forte, Fred Armisen, and Andy Samberg traditionally did, his grinning cheekiness putting his own unique spin on the proceedings. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2023 During Chapman’s verses, Combs grinned and mouthed along with her lyrics, while artists like Swift and Jelly Roll stood up and sang along in the audience, the most pure feel-good moment of the night. Al Shipley, SPIN, 5 Feb. 2024
Noun
Meanwhile, Bree, in a backwards-facing blue and white baseball cap, grins while seemingly taking in the competition. Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 From a lemon shark sharing a toothy grin at dusk, to a green-blue mahi-mahi ambushing sardines, the 2024 Underwater Photographer of the Year (UPY) Awards showcase the stunning beauty and diversity of our world’s oceans. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024 There’s a disquiet to the way the teenage Foster grins slightly, cocks one eyebrow, swallows hard. Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2024 The Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse voice actor was a shining star at the event thanks to his mega-watt grin. Essence, 8 Jan. 2024 Whether Hirayama displays a small, shy smile or a slightly larger grin speaks volumes. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2024 The metal, fire-breathing beast grins into the flickering glare. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024 The camera focused only on the hands playing the guitar, before slowly revealing Chapman — with a broad grin. Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2024 Flashing a grin, pub owner Jeff Frederick said party passes have been sold to people from all corners of the U.S. and from as far away as Australia. Rio Yamat, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2024

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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of grin was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near grin

Cite this Entry

“Grin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grin. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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