grimace

[ grim-uhs, gri-meys ]
See synonyms for: grimacegrimacing on Thesaurus.com

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

verb (used without object),grim·aced, grim·ac·ing.
  1. to make a facial expression, often ugly or contorted, that indicates disapproval, pain, etc.

Origin of grimace

1
First recorded in 1645–55; from French, ultimately from Frankish grima (unrecorded) “mask” (cf. grim, grime) + -azo, from Latin -āceus -aceous

Other words from grimace

  • grim·ac·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use grimace in a sentence

  • Anderson and Larkins grimaced at him, to remind him that they had told untruths for his sake, and that he must not betray them.

    The Daisy Chain | Charlotte Yonge
  • Ling grimaced, but followed lest his companions think him afraid.

    The Devil's Asteroid | Manly Wade Wellman
  • Inside, her occupants grimaced helplessly as they watched various instruments guide tiny pointers across calibrated faces.

    Tight Squeeze | Dean Charles Ing
  • Some wit said of her that she minaudait dans le vide, grimaced upon the desert air.

    Smoke | Turgenev Ivan Sergeevich
  • He grimaced at the triteness of the words, at the same time realizing that a basic truth lurked there.

    Deathworld | Harry Harrison

British Dictionary definitions for grimace

grimace

/ (ɡrɪˈmeɪs) /


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

verb
  1. (intr) to contort the face

Origin of grimace

1
C17: from French grimace, of Germanic origin; related to Spanish grimazo caricature; see grim

Derived forms of grimace

  • grimacer, noun
  • grimacingly, adverb

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