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
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
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause that lasted several seconds, and Rudolph grinned ear to ear, drawing a deep breath to compose herself. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 2 Nov. 2024 Gareth then grins and begins laughing, as guests also catch the unique entrance on their phones. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
Another recent work, Goblin Girl (2021), shows a green-skinned creature, her face scrunched up in an indescribable expression—a silly grin, perhaps, or maybe something more menacing. Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 21 Nov. 2024 But the toothy grin of Pat Cummins through his media engagements marked a captain that is especially relaxed before a legacy-defining series for his aging team. Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for grin 

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 9 Dec. 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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