grimace
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
grimacesimple
-
grimacessimple
-
have grimacedperfect
-
has grimacedperfect
-
am grimacingprogressive
-
are grimacingprogressive
-
is grimacingprogressive
-
have been grimacingperfect progressive
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has been grimacingperfect progressive
Past
-
grimacedsimple
-
had grimacedperfect
-
was grimacingprogressive
-
were grimacingprogressive
-
had been grimacingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of grimace
First recorded in 1645–55; from French, ultimately from Frankish grima (unrecorded) “mask” ( cf. grim, grime) + -azo, from Latin -āceus -aceous
Explanation
The grimace on her face when he asked her to the prom told him her answer was "no" before she said a word. A grimace is a facial expression that usually suggests disgust or pain, but sometimes comic exaggeration. Picture someone wrinkling his nose, squeezing his eyes shut, and twisting his mouth and you'll have a pretty solid mental image of a grimace. It can be a verb, as in "the class grimaced at the teacher's suggestion of a pop quiz." Or it words as a noun. "The class gave a grimace when the teacher suggested a pop quiz." Its forerunner was the 17th century Spanish grimazo, meaning caricature, and grima, meaning fright.
Vocabulary lists containing grimace
The Outsiders
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Hatchet
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"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs
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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.
See Examples For:
For Americans who grimace at the thought of “big government,” this distanced Social Security from public assistance or welfare.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
"I'm not a fan," Ethan says with a grimace.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
Nesmith and Siakam could only grimace at each other.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
“I know where it is,” he said through the grimace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
Javier did, his mouth curled up in a grimace.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Wizened and creased, with a hoop the size of a quarter dangling in his left ear, he relies on gestures—shrugs, grimaces, guffaws—to flesh out responses that lean terse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
He rolls his eyes at the town’s unquestioning belief in ghost stories and grimaces at all the visible evidence of how behind the times the town is.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
Instead, “Over Your Dead Body” delivers over-the-top fight sequences emphasizing grimaces and gross-out laughs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
All of it was seemingly captured on TikTok - often in real-time - as consumer after consumer filmed themselves biting into the hardened treats, responding with a series of grimaces rather than delight.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2024
“How—can—I—tell—you—anything,” Eilonwy said, deliberately pronouncing every word and making extravagant grimaces as she did so, “if—you—don’t—want—me—to—talk?”
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
The 77-year-old king grimaced in mock embarrassment as Trump turned to look at him, then waved as if to say carry on -- which Trump did.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
When I asked him how many times he’d used Calm, he grimaced.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2025
From the moment Djokovic lunged for a drop-shot towards the end of the first set against Alcaraz and immediately grimaced to his box, there have been questions over his fitness.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2025
Rams coach Sean McVay mostly grimaced last season as kickers Brett Maher and Lucas Havrisik struggled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2024
I had spent half the night massaging her head, but it hadn’t helped, and now she grimaced over lunch.
From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed
The Lakers were down by nine when Doncic departed, rubbing the back of his left thigh and grimacing in discomfort and clear frustration.
From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026
With his eyes closed and his face grimacing, he grappled for a bolt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
Frank was furious at his team's lack of aggression at Arsenal, visibly grimacing when he pointed out they only won 17 out of 53 duels and second-ball situations.
From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025
And so, on Tuesday, the days of gratitude can end, and Dodgers fans can resume reflexively criticizing their manager and grimacing about whether they can trust anyone in their bullpen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2025
“Good-night, Lenina,” he repeated, and made a strange grimacing attempt to smile.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
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.
