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
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Williams knocked knees late in the fourth quarter against Houston and immediately grimaced, but didn’t show any effects after posting 20 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 21 Feb. 2026
Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
Will, in response, contorts his entire face into a terrible grimace.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grimace
Verb
Ref Bankes initially ignored the wide-eyed protests of several Chelsea players to flash only his yellow card as Garnacho writhed, grimacing on the floor and clutching his left leg.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Williams knocked knees late in the fourth quarter against Houston and immediately grimaced, but didn’t show any effects after posting 20 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 21 Feb. 2026
Noun
With a grimace on his face and look of effort, Valastro held up his fist and tried to stick his middle finger in the air.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
Will, in response, contorts his entire face into a terrible grimace.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grimace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grimace
Verb
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Those that attended mostly sat and scowled.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
25 Feb. 2026
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He was picked up first on meth charges on May 14, 1986, according to news reports and a San Francisco police booking photo, which shows him in a blue hoodie scowling into the camera.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Not a quiver in his lips, yet his frown growing.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
3 Dec. 2025
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My best friend Russell is an acupuncturist, and seemed like the perfect person to place my tape, slapping it on my frown lines, crow’s-feet, and nasolabial folds.—
Lena Dunham,
Vogue,
19 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Researchers placed food near a person who either stared directly at nearby gulls or deliberately looked away.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Mar. 2026
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Food was placed near a person who either stared directly at nearby gulls or deliberately looked away.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Gates, no relation to Antonio, offers a shrug and a smirk.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
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Yet Lili Reinhart plays her with a diamond-hard smirk and a gleam of perception that lights up the screen.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In character as a free spirit who scorns social convention, Davis is all haughty tosses of the head and sneering lines.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
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That lack of an official accounting encouraged a willful amnesia about the regime’s crimes and, Mendonça Filho has argued, led directly to the 2018 election of Jair Bolsonaro, who ran on a platform of sneering nostalgia for the era of military rule.—
Michael Snyder,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Both governments still mouth the old slogans, by rote.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
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Or to sometimes instinctively mouth the words to Christmas carols the kids sang to him with tears or confusion in their eyes.—
Scott Maxwell,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grimace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimace. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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