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
Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2025
Hicks, who watched the show at a downtown fire station, grinned as Tooter joked with Rosie.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
Yue Wang, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Upon seeing him on Citi Field’s gigantic video board, the crowd offered a standing ovation, cheering so much and so loudly that eventually McLean, who later admitted to being caught off guard, responded with a grin and fist pump.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grin
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Verb
In an instant, Trump ushered him away for an apparently impromptu ride in his Presidential limousine; pictures of the Beast rolling slowly toward the venue where their formal talks would be held showed Putin, through the window, grinning broadly.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2025
Hicks, who watched the show at a downtown fire station, grinned as Tooter joked with Rosie.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
Featuring pointed ears, jagged teeth and a mischievous grin, the rabbit-ish toy is flying off store shelves around the world and being collected by celebrities including Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and Lisa from the K-pop group Blackpink.
—Yue Wang, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Upon seeing him on Citi Field’s gigantic video board, the crowd offered a standing ovation, cheering so much and so loudly that eventually McLean, who later admitted to being caught off guard, responded with a grin and fist pump.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 17 Aug. 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 29 Aug. 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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