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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.

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

"Some attendees, unable to tolerate the stench, grimace and cover their noses as they approach the flower."

From Salon • May 27, 2025

Actually, she reclined for the interview, slipping off her heels and stretching out on a leather chaise under a waffle-weave blanket that she eventually cast aside with a grimace.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2024

He can crack a smile and a joke or two, but the bespectacled leader can often take on the grimace of a disappointed elder.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2024

Her grin turned briefly to a grimace before she asked, “Your family has a store? Which one?”

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

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.