grimace
Americannoun
-
grimaces
plural
verb (used without object)
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grimaces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
grimaced,
past participle, past
-
grimacing
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
grimacesimple
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grimacessimple
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have grimacedperfect
-
has grimacedperfect
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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:
Hilton Hafford, 68, said he was all for his local friend Jackson, but added with a grimace: "My sisters and brother are on the other side."
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
The elderly grimace, hobbling on crutches, and wide-eyed children stare, cradling chickens carried from homes they were forced to leave behind.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
After her first vault, she landed with a grimace and fell, clutching her injured ankle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
For Americans who grimace at the thought of “big government,” this distanced Social Security from public assistance or welfare.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
Melanie’s smile turns into a grimace as Oliver runs between us with the drum.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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
“There was a push for us to stop having strings in our music,” grimaces Chatto.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2024
The nearly photorealistic face of Senua, the unconventional hero of this 10th-century revenge tale, as she grimaces with every sinew taut, her veins bulging.
From New York Times ● May 20, 2024
I toss and turn, my dreams laced with images of Poe and Abby, smiles twisting into grimaces of pain as they melt away into nothingness.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
Stephen Street, a 63-year-old longtime San Franciscan and Marina resident, saw the mock-ups for the development and grimaced.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
He had to see his service game through before he could receive treatment and, after holding to love, grimaced through a massage before returning to play.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
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
He grimaced, "I'm your host for this historic vibe shift of a day."
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025
All of them gasped and grimaced as the potion hit their throats: At once, their features began to bubble and distort like hot wax.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Just last week, the actress shared a mirror selfie in which she could be seen showing off her growing baby bump, pulling up her black shirt to flaunt her stomach, while grimacing at the camera.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Doncic went up and down the court several times, grimacing in pain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
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
“Tiny little mic,” she said, grimacing at a recent premiere.
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2026
“You aren’t,” his eyes burned at me from his grimacing face, “still the assistant senior crew manager!”
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
