grin

1 of 2

verb

grinned; grinning

intransitive verb

: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in amusement or laughter
broadly : smile
grinning from ear to ear
grinner noun
grinningly adverb

grin

2 of 2

noun

plural grins
: a facial expression produced by grinning especially in pleasure or amusement
a happy grin
She grew into a nimble young girl of seven winters, a thoughtful girl with shining brown eyes and a wide grinLouise Erdrich
I wanted to wipe the grin off his face [=make him stop smiling.]

Examples of grin in a Sentence

Verb She continued to tease her brother, grinning wickedly. grinned at the kids' fooling around in the pool
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Villeneuve is adept at staging grand-scale battles, but the movie’s best set piece is the climactic tooth-and-nail face-off between Paul and this grinning gargoyle. Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Feb. 2024 Wallen faces three felony counts of reckless endangerment, as well as a disorderly conduct charge, according to Nashville police, who posted a grinning mug shot of the 30-year-old chart-topper on X. Avi Selk, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024 Oscar grins on his dad's shoulders, bearing a striking resemblance to the TV personality. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024 The Iowa Hawkeyes, led by star guard Caitlin Clark’s 41 points, beat LSU 94-87 to advance to the Final Four, after which a grinning Sudeikis posed with the winners. Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2024 In the cute selfie pic, Brown grinned at the camera with her eyes closed as her fiancé pressed his face against her cheek. Jenny Haward, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024 There stood a doorman, grinning, Ringo in his arms. David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024 The photo, in which the seated, smiling Kate is flanked by the three grinning youngsters in cozy sweaters, is credited in the post to William, Prince of Wales. Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 Anchored by footage of a grinning Buffett recording the song in the studio last year, the video also includes decades of photographs and clips of Buffett performing in New Orleans and just enjoying the multitudes of delights the city has to offer. Melinda Newman, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
In footage of the moment shared by TMZ, Bryan sat up immediately with a grin on his face and looked unhurt. Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024 Obama the mogul seems indifferent to how the republic is ruined; this movie is a reminder of the pimp strut, sarcastic grin, and open-collar arrogance of his recent Radio City Music Hall DNC fundraiser. Armond White, National Review, 10 Apr. 2024 Image During opening weekend on March 16, the museum was a hive of freckles and gap toothed grins, with visitors ranging in age from newborn to well seasoned. Elisabeth Egan Chase Castor, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024 And when asked postgame about the source of her competitive fuel, Watkins deflected onto her teammates with a bashful grin. Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 9 Mar. 2024 When new linebackers coach Matt Entz is mentioned, Gentry breaks into a full-on grin. Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024 Related article Researchers found a tiny skull with wide eyes and a cartoonish grin. Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024 Uncle Charles has an easy grin and the warm, reassuring manner of someone who welcomes boarders for a living. Emefa Addo Agawu, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024 Randy, with his infectious grin, twinkling eyes, warm handshake, and rote recitation of Japanese garden symbology, was not condemned for a string of killings but rather for leading a death squad one summer night in 1987. Matt Thompson, SPIN, 12 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English grennen, from Old English grennian; akin to Old High German grennen to snarl

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grin was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near grin

Cite this Entry

“Grin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grin. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

grin

verb
grinned; grinning
: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in laughter
grin noun

More from Merriam-Webster on grin

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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