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
-
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
Feigning a grimace and clutching his stomach, he asked them for a pack of wet wipes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 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
Charles, who responded with a playful grimace, quipped: "Yes well, all that's left of him anyway."
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2025
I blink them back and try for a lopsided smile … but it deflates and melts into an ugly grimace.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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
Throughout baseball history, such collisions have been met mostly with grimaces and shrugs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2025
“There was a push for us to stop having strings in our music,” grimaces Chatto.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2024
She runs her fingers over her stump and grimaces.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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
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
I stood as far back as I could in the snug compartment and grimaced my way through it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025
As fans applauded, the singer grimaced: "They put the clap track on, cool. Thanks for being on my side."
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2025
Although Rowan couldn’t see it, he grimaced as if he had.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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
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
Muchova, who began grimacing because of an issue with her left leg in the sixth game, called for the trainer and received medical attention off court.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2025
Aaron Conner, 20, sits in his wheelchair grimacing in pain on Nov. 19, 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2025
“Oh no,” she says, grimacing, “I can’t eat.”
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
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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.
