grinned; grinning
: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in amusement or laughter
grinner
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
Louise ErdrichI 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
Chris Lau, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Next to Wilson, his son Finn, 11, was pictured wearing an LAFC jersey and grinning.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
To help distinguish your costume from the Easter Bunny, paint on the toy monster’s signature sharp-toothed grin and craft a PopMart tag and key ring.
—Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grin
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Verb
In another image, the Chinese leader appears to grin with his eyes shut, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi laughing by his side.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Next to Wilson, his son Finn, 11, was pictured wearing an LAFC jersey and grinning.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
Unlike Cesar Romero’s Joker from the child-friendly TV Batman, cheery and inane, Jack Nicholson’s version is fully monstrous—sneering and sadistic, his dead eyes obscene next to his rictus grin.
—The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
To help distinguish your costume from the Easter Bunny, paint on the toy monster’s signature sharp-toothed grin and craft a PopMart tag and key ring.
—Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grin
Cite this Entry
“Grin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grin. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
grin
verb
grinned; grinning
: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in laughter
grin
noun
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