grin

¹ American  

[grin] / grɪn /

verb (used without object)

grinned, grinning

1. to smile broadly, especially as an indication of pleasure, amusement, or the like.

   Synonyms:

   crack a smile, smirk, smile, beam

   Antonyms:

   glare, frown

2. to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth, as a snarling dog or a person in pain.

3. to show or be exposed through an opening, crevice, etc.

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verb (used with object)

grinned, grinning

1. to express or produce by grinning.

   The little boy grinned his approval of the gift.

noun

1. a broad smile.

2. the act of producing a broad smile.

3. the act of withdrawing the lips and showing the teeth, as in anger or pain.

grin ² American  

[grin] / grɪn /

noun

1. Chiefly Scot. a snare like a running noose.

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verb (used with object)

grinned, grinning

1. Archaic. to catch in a nooselike snare.

grin British  

/ ɡrɪn /

verb

1. to smile with the lips drawn back revealing the teeth or express (something) by such a smile

   to grin a welcome

2. (intr) to draw back the lips revealing the teeth, as in a snarl or grimace

3. informal to suffer trouble or hardship without complaint

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noun

1. a broad smile

2. a snarl or grimace

Related Words

See laugh.

Other Word Forms

• grinner
  noun
• grinning
  adjective
• grinningly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of grin¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English grinnen, grennen, Old English grennian; cognate with Old High German grennan “to mutter”

Origin of grin²

First recorded before 900; Middle English grin(e), grinne, Old English grin, gryn

Explanation

When you grin, you smile. You're likely to grin when your sister tells you a particularly funny knock-knock joke. There's some disagreement about the difference between a grin and a smile — some define a grin as a broad smile that exposes your teeth, but others consider a grin to be a smile with lips tightly closed. Either way, a grin usually expresses amusement, although it sometimes has a mischievous or sly implication: "No one confessed to letting the rabbit loose in the classroom, but one student's grin gave her away."

Example Sentences

Regarding “50 Years at the Roxy,” July 23: I was one of the lucky ones who was there opening night for Neil Young, with Graham Nash subbing for Grin.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2023

Bird acquired Scoot, Ojo absorbed Gotcha to form Last Mile Holdings, Latin American scooter companies Grin and Yellow merged to form Grow Mobility, and before last week’s deal, Uber was a minority stakeholder in Lime.

From The Verge • May 13, 2020

They opened for Grin, Nils Lofgren’s band, and performed at an art opening at the Corcoran.

From Washington Post • Feb. 9, 2019

Behind the Big Grin, an Angry Satchmo WHO knew Louis Armstrong had such a mouth on him?

From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2012

Mr. Grin had just come out of one of the buildings and was standing some distance away, talking into a mobile telephone.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

Related Words

• smirk