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
Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The water-resistant design features a grinning bird in a pilgrim hat perched atop a giant pumpkin adorned with a festive greeting.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2025
Dave Franco, in glasses, plays up the grinning geek factor a bit too much.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
Attached was a photo of a grinning Paul and Massie sitting in front a fireplace.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Testers put it through its paces in a mix of groomers, crud, and frosty bumps, and nearly all walked away grinning.
—Marina Knight, Outside, 17 Oct. 2025
In the nearly two-minute preview, fans get a glimpse at how present her now-fiancé was behind the scenes, at one point crouching underneath the stage and grinning wide as the pop star bends down and kisses him on the cheek.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2025
Twenty yards melting into history, Martin tumbled forward and rose grinning, his team’s fake punt gamble striking gold.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Leto, meanwhile, stays in character throughout the exchange and strikes a playful kung fu pose of his own before grinning as the robot continues its routine.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
Next to Wilson, his son Finn, 11, was pictured wearing an LAFC jersey and grinning.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The water-resistant design features a grinning bird in a pilgrim hat perched atop a giant pumpkin adorned with a festive greeting.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2025
Dave Franco, in glasses, plays up the grinning geek factor a bit too much.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
Attached was a photo of a grinning Paul and Massie sitting in front a fireplace.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Testers put it through its paces in a mix of groomers, crud, and frosty bumps, and nearly all walked away grinning.
—Marina Knight, Outside, 17 Oct. 2025
In the nearly two-minute preview, fans get a glimpse at how present her now-fiancé was behind the scenes, at one point crouching underneath the stage and grinning wide as the pop star bends down and kisses him on the cheek.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2025
Twenty yards melting into history, Martin tumbled forward and rose grinning, his team’s fake punt gamble striking gold.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Leto, meanwhile, stays in character throughout the exchange and strikes a playful kung fu pose of his own before grinning as the robot continues its routine.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinning
Adjective
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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
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After the announcement, Musk celebrated the vote on a stage at the shareholder meeting, dancing and laughing alongside a pair of robots.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
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The longtime fitness buff showed up to their home in Colorado looking overweight, rarely smiling or laughing, and was withdrawn.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grinning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinning. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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