as in smiled
to express an emotion (as amusement) by curving the lips upward
grinned at the kids' fooling around in the pool
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
When asked how to manage a defense with two rookie starters, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio held up crossed fingers with both hands and grinned.
—
Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Surtain grinned on Thursday when asked if Chase would want revenge.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
Lori, who wore a black two-piece bikini, grinned ear-to-ear while taking a dip in the water with the F1 star.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
The big blue gum out front clawed at the darkness, the hillside in back sank into a void of shadow, and the sky grinned its canescent grin.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025
She was dressed in green and gold and had a beaming smile on her face as Justin grinned at her.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 2 Sep. 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
Mahomes grinned and added a good-natured jab at his teammate.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2025
Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Surtain grinned on Thursday when asked if Chase would want revenge.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
Lori, who wore a black two-piece bikini, grinned ear-to-ear while taking a dip in the water with the F1 star.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
The big blue gum out front clawed at the darkness, the hillside in back sank into a void of shadow, and the sky grinned its canescent grin.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025
She was dressed in green and gold and had a beaming smile on her face as Justin grinned at her.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 2 Sep. 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
Mahomes grinned and added a good-natured jab at his teammate.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinned
Verb
-
Niners general manager John Lynch smiled when asked about his third-round pick and the matchup.—
Vic Tafur,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
In the photo, O’Neal smiled widely while Rain posed in front of the former Los Angeles Lakers star and gave the camera the middle finger.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Reporters in the Brady Room earlier this week were greeted by the meme on a loop; the vice president, addressing them on the shutdown, laughed at Democrats who were offended by the trope.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
But sticking it out ended up being beneficial, because those classmates who laughed at his antics became his first audience.—
Essence,
Essence,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grinned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinned. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share