as in smiling
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as in laughing
to express an emotion (as amusement) by curving the lips upward
grinned at the kids' fooling around in the pool
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Recent Examples of grinning
Laura Millar, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
In another image, the high school graduate could be seen grinning and throwing up peace signs at the camera, looking just like his mom’s twin.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 7 June 2026
Scary Movie 1 star Jon Abrahams returns to menace Cindy, his ex, by grinning at her like a maniac in a psychiatric holding facility.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026
Bardem is captivating and formidable, grinning with maniacal glee at his every act of depravity and the fear and anguish of his victims.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 June 2026
Bromley was grinning at her strangely.
—Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Ball Arena went quiet, and Coghlan turned to look at his teammate, Shea Theodore, who was grinning from ear to ear.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Instead, out stepped the face of the mainstreamed hard right, grinning in light blue pants and a sports jacket.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 6 May 2026
Naturally, those struggling are crying foul over some of the new car requirements, while those winning are, well, grinning to say the least.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 4 May 2026
Verb
The first slide was a solo shot of Louetta in front of a bundle of pink balloons, grinning from ear-to-ear.
—Laura Millar, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
In another image, the high school graduate could be seen grinning and throwing up peace signs at the camera, looking just like his mom’s twin.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 7 June 2026
Scary Movie 1 star Jon Abrahams returns to menace Cindy, his ex, by grinning at her like a maniac in a psychiatric holding facility.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026
Bardem is captivating and formidable, grinning with maniacal glee at his every act of depravity and the fear and anguish of his victims.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 June 2026
Bromley was grinning at her strangely.
—Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Ball Arena went quiet, and Coghlan turned to look at his teammate, Shea Theodore, who was grinning from ear to ear.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Instead, out stepped the face of the mainstreamed hard right, grinning in light blue pants and a sports jacket.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 6 May 2026
Naturally, those struggling are crying foul over some of the new car requirements, while those winning are, well, grinning to say the least.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinning
Adjective
-
Women in black hijabs and abayas, many wearing badges depicting Zahra’s smiling face, lined the streets as men prayed over her casket, placed outside the Husseiniya, a Shiite hall.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
-
As Thomas’ parents, Katina Smith and Bobby Thomas, unveiled their son’s smiling statue in the Broncos’ Ring of Fame Plaza last Sunday, as scores of his former teammates looked on in sadness and joy, Miller was 800 miles away in Dallas, gearing up for a game against the Cowboys.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The former couple did spend the 2025 holiday season together, with Slater taking to his own Instagram Stories in December to share rare photos of the pop star cuddling with a dog and laughing at a private gathering.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
9 June 2026
-
The world is laughing at our inability to count votes in a timely manner.—
Juhi Doshi,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grinning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinning. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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