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Synonyms

grimace

American  
[grim-uhs, gri-meys] / ˈgrɪm əs, grɪˈmeɪs /

noun

  1. a facial expression, often ugly or contorted, that indicates disapproval, pain, etc.

verb (used without object)

grimaced, grimacing

  1. to make a facial expression, often ugly or contorted, that indicates disapproval, pain, etc.

grimace British  
/ ɡrɪˈmeɪs /

noun

  1. an ugly or distorted facial expression, as of wry humour, disgust, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (intr) to contort the face

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • grimacer noun
  • grimacingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of grimace

First recorded in 1645–55; from French, ultimately from Frankish grima (unrecorded) “mask” ( grim, grime ) + -azo, from Latin -āceus -aceous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Nesmith and Siakam could only grimace at each other.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

Three portable toilets in the west parking lot were so full that a woman repeatedly opened and closed each door with a grimace and then walked away.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025

Eyebrows dance above her piercing eyes as her mouth stretches into a toothy grin that’s part smile, part grimace.

From New York Times • Jun. 14, 2024

Britt's performance was so unnerving that some Republicans watched "with a grimace," the Daily Beast reports.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2024

She bit down on her grimace at the sight of his teeth.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.