grimace
Americannoun
-
grimaces
plural
verb (used without object)
-
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
-
grimacessimple
-
have grimacedperfect
-
has grimacedperfect
-
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:
For Americans who grimace at the thought of “big government,” this distanced Social Security from public assistance or welfare.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
“I know where it is,” he said through the grimace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
"Some attendees, unable to tolerate the stench, grimace and cover their noses as they approach the flower."
From Salon ● May 27, 2025
“But they saw me grimace a little bit on the mound, and they’re not going to take any chances.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2024
Edie shoots me a weird look, either a grimace or a kind of failed attempt at a smile, and leaves without another word.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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
Take, for instance, the dapper child who grimaces squarely at the camera with a wad of cash in his hands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Throughout baseball history, such collisions have been met mostly with grimaces and shrugs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2025
Sargassum on the other hand, she grimaces, is something “we will never run out of”.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2024
In every store their smiles turned to grimaces when they saw I meant not to buy but to cash a check.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
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
When I asked him how many times he’d used Calm, he grimaced.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2025
He immediately grimaced and went back to the locker room and didn’t return because of a left-knee strain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025
Professor Green and the mystery professor grimaced as my on-screen self was drenched.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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
“Tiny little mic,” she said, grimacing at a recent premiere.
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2026
Frank was furious at his team's lack of aggression at Arsenal, visibly grimacing when he pointed out they only won 17 out of 53 duels and second-ball situations.
From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025
I lick my bottom lip to keep from grimacing.
From "Rules" by Cynthia Lord
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.
