grinned

past tense of grin
as in smiled
to express an emotion (as amusement) by curving the lips upward grinned at the kids' fooling around in the pool

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of grinned Freshman forward Davion Adkins grinned when asked about Council and White returning so close to the start of the season. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026 Riley grinned with his team protecting an eight-point lead in front of a rowdy, record crowd of 114,419 decked in all white at Beaver Stadium on Saturday night. — Jordan Puente, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 In photos obtained by the Daily Mail, the singer could be seen smiling in the back seat of an SUV while her soccer player boyfriend of two years grinned from the front seat. — Meg Walters, InStyle, 28 Sep. 2026 Kulich missed most of last season with a blood clot issue, but Mrtka grinned when asked how Kulich looked this summer. — Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 In one photo, the family of four posed together on the beach with Sybil sporting a playful pout while the rest of the bunch grinned. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026 In 2014, Josh Brolin appeared in Hall H, slipped on the Infinity Gauntlet, and grinned. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026 Bo grinned, staring at the pale-blue walls of the large classroom. — Min Jin Lee, New Yorker, 19 July 2026 But the real star of her segment were her adorable backup dancers, the Ugandan dance troupe Ghetto Kids, who grinned throughout the number. — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 19 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinned
Verb
  • Then Kip caught himself and, by way of saying thanks, rubbed his belly, smiled big, gave me the finger.
    — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • On Wednesday, Brand was photographed arriving at the court with his wife, Laura, who was reported to have warmly smiled at him throughout the proceedings in court.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • When journalist Mark Halperin posed the question, Vance laughed before giving a brief response.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2026
  • People looking on, some still munching on mini quiche and green-chile breakfast potatoes, laughed.
    — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Grinned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinned. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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