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Cheshire cat

American  

noun

  1. a constantly grinning cat in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.


idioms

  1. grin like a Cheshire cat, to smile or grin inscrutably.

Cheshire cat Cultural  
  1. A cat with an enormous grin encountered by Alice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. The cat tends to disappear, leaving only its smile hanging in the air.


Discover More

“Smiling like a Cheshire cat” refers to anyone with a conspicuous and long-lasting smile.

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.

"The corners of his mouth split into a Cheshire cat smile. Waving a stack of documents, he moves towards me, like a wolf closing in on its prey."

From Salon • Sep. 20, 2023

Liberal Democrat smiles were sufficiently broad that party leader Sir Ed Davey was found comparing himself to a Cheshire cat.

From BBC • May 5, 2023

He leaned back in his seat, smiling like the Cheshire cat.

From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2023

Since both Manchester City players live in Cheshire, when England entered the tournament quarterfinals unbeaten, the skinny gray-and-black-striped kitten seemed destined to become a Cheshire cat.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2022

Now the cosmic Cheshire cat has vanished; only its gravitational grin remains.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan