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

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

Dave Franco, in glasses, plays up the grinning geek factor a bit too much. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025

Attached was a photo of a grinning Paul and Massie sitting in front a fireplace. —Joey Garrison, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025

Noun

Still, despite dominating the global conversation this year, few actually know the full story behind the fluffy figurine with a grin of spikey teeth. —Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2025

Then the evil grin loses its enthusiasm, gradually working its way to a toothless pucker. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2025

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