grin

1 of 2

verb

grinned; grinning
Synonyms of grinnext

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
Fatima grins, before rejoining the rest of the girls' team for one-on-one drills. Jasmine Garsd, NPR, 16 June 2026 The first slide was a solo shot of Louetta in front of a bundle of pink balloons, grinning from ear-to-ear. Laura Millar, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
Noun
Then Jaimoe pauses, flashes a quick, playful grin, and rolls his right pant leg up to his knee. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2026 Liu, 28, recalls with an exasperated grin. Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 29 May 2026 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grin. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.

Kids 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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