grimace

[ grim-uh s, gri-meys ]

/ ˈgrɪm əs, grɪˈmeɪs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grimace ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

verb (used without object), grim·aced, grim·ac·ing.

to make grimaces.

Nearby words

grillé, grilse, grim, grim dig, grim reaper, grimace, grimaldi, grimaldi man, grimaldian, grimalkin, grime

Origin of grimace

1645–55; < French ≪ Frankish *grima mask (cf. grime, grim) + -azo < Latin -āceus -aceous

Related forms

grim·ac·er, noungrim·ac·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for grimace

But, he said with a grimace, “I do judge by my meetings with people how forthright they are.”
Obama Judicial Pick Grilled By Senate Democrats|Patricia Murphy|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I gave him some brandy from my medicinal store, which he drank with a grimace.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All that Bud Selig can do is grimace and give the game's perennial pariah a long, unpaid vacation.
A-Rod the Scapegoat|Allen St. John|August 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I hold onto his arm and lift him while he closes his eyes and tries not to grimace.
I'm an Illegal Immigrant at Harvard|Anonymous|November 27, 2010|DAILY BEAST

She was mostly gristle and bone when we saw her, lying in the sun with her legs spread and a grimace on her face.
The Right and Left Are Wrong About My Movie|Sebastian Junger|July 21, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Something like a smile attempted to contract the Indian's features; but the attempt was not a happy one, and stopped at a grimace.
The Gold-Seekers|Gustave Aimard
No, but to judge by the grimace you made you weren't quite sure!
The Betrothal|Maurice Maeterlinck
Then, with a grimace of disgust, he stretched out his hand for the blackened pannikin.
The Gold Trail|Harold Bindloss
Arthur made a grimace that might have been either of assent or deprecation.
Gabriel Conroy|Bert Harte
However, I would like to see her grimace again; old Toubac would willingly give me fifteen florins if I could paint it for him.
Library of the World's Best Mystery and Detective Stories|Edited by Julian Hawthorne

British Dictionary definitions for grimace

grimace

/ (ɡrɪˈmeɪs) /

noun

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

verb

(intr) to contort the face

Derived Forms

grimacer, noungrimacingly, adverb

Word Origin for grimace

C17: from French grimace, of Germanic origin; related to Spanish grimazo caricature; see grim

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

grimace

noun

verb (used without object), grim·aced, grim·ac·ing.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of grimace

Related forms

Examples from the Web for grimace

British Dictionary definitions for grimace

grimace

noun

verb

Derived Forms

Word Origin for grimace