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
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 4 May 2026
Mize appeared to grimace after a pair of pitches in the second inning.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for grimace
Verb
Anthony appeared to tweak his hand after checking his swing during his first-inning at bat, grimacing and flexing his hand after pulling up three quarters of the way through his follow through.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 4 May 2026
Mize appeared to grimace after a pair of pitches in the second inning.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
In the video, Claffey tries to move Ansell away from the subject and grimaces at the camera when his costar seems to say a little too much.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for grimace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grimace
Verb
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As a 7-year-old, I’d entertain my father’s friends, at their weekly pickup game at a Bronx barn-house gymnasium, by imitating his game face—bottom lip jutting, eyes scowling.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
14 June 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Numbers might be up, but frowns are also up.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
-
Turning a smile into a frown, or a frown into a smile.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Regrets are common enough after lives are lost — when the cost of conflict is staring you right in the face, dead-eyed and countless — and yet this specific contrition persists long before the ships crash, the arrows fly, and the dragons roar.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
15 June 2026
-
Most passengers spend a week living inside the ship, not staring at it from shore.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
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Roy interjected with the mischievous smirk typical of a younger brother trying to ruffle some feathers.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
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Her roundup began with a photo of a shadow holding a wine glass outdoors, followed by a selfie with a smirk.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
11 June 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
-
Trump has been willing to mouth these words.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Grimace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimace. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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