as in to scowl
to distort one's face
playgoers grimaced at the actor's terrible attempt at a French accent
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scowl
a twisting of the facial features in disgust or disapproval
he made a grimace when he tasted the medicine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grimace
Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2026
In the sixth, Pasquantino grimaced during the follow-through on his swing.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Colleen Barry, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
Texas basketball coach Sean Miller glanced over the stat sheet after Saturday’s 74-70 home loss to rival Texas A&M with a grimace before stating the obvious.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grimace
Verb
Mize appeared to grimace after a pair of pitches in the second inning.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2026
In the sixth, Pasquantino grimaced during the follow-through on his swing.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
After Malinin botched his final free in the singles competition, Cowan kept his distance as the skater crumbled into a grimace of abject disappointment.
—Colleen Barry, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
Texas basketball coach Sean Miller glanced over the stat sheet after Saturday’s 74-70 home loss to rival Texas A&M with a grimace before stating the obvious.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grimace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grimace
Verb
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Modern tiki tends to take a lighter touch, using more abstract graphics, less imagery of women and scowling gods.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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But there’s more to Brind’Amour than the person fans see screaming and scowling behind the bench or stomping around the dressing room in a postwin video looking like some combination of Godzilla and Chris Farley’s famous Matt Foley character.—
Cory Lavalette,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Noun
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The Spaniard left hurriedly, carrying a frown that owed to a sense of injustice.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
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Greg’s smile, contrasted with the frowns and thumbs-down from the rest of the crew, makes for an entertaining visual.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In another Amsterdam photo, a pair of identical world globes, recalling Ghirri’s passion for cartography and atlases, rest on matching supports to conjure that oldest of surrealist tropes, a pair of staring eyes.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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Sure, there are probably supermodels, sports stars, and famous actors in your midst (don’t stare).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Noun
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An elderly man offered a smirk for his mugshot after being arrested in a caught-on-camera hit-and-run involving a cyclist group.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
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The prospect of doing it again with even larger stakes brought an excited smirk to Smart’s face.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Cassie’s OnlyFans adventures, for interest, were depicted with a kind of sneering derision toward the character’s poor judgement and lack of savvy.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
1 June 2026
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In a recent video interview, Windolf noted that there are plenty of Beatle fans who find Dylan abrasive and overrated, while there are Dylanologists who sneer at the pop songwriting of Lennon and McCartney.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
1 June 2026
Verb
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To sterilize empty jars, set them mouth up on the rack in a boiling-water canner.—
Kelly Brant,
Arkansas Online,
12 May 2026
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Both governments still mouth the old slogans, by rote.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grimace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimace. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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