grimace

[ grim-uhs, gri-meys ]

/ ˈgrɪm əs, grɪˈmeɪs /

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See synonyms for: grimace / grimacing 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.

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Origin of grimace

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

OTHER WORDS FROM grimace

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use grimace in a sentence

Fields missed one play, then sandwiched a dart to the end zone between grimaces of pain.
Justin Fields outduels Trevor Lawrence as Ohio State upsets Clemson in playoff semifinal|Emily Giambalvo, Kareem Copeland|January 2, 2021|Washington Post
Winston Ross on the spooky case that has authorities grimacing.
Canada’s Severed-Feet Mystery|Winston Ross|September 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
His light found a squat skeleton sitting there grimacing at him.
Hunters Out of Space|Joseph Everidge Kelleam
Close upon their heels press forward a chattering grimacing group from Naples.
The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the first|Count Carlo Gozzi

Nick passed on and quickly paused again; this time, his mother discerned, before the marble image of a strange grimacing woman.
The Tragic Muse|Henry James
Grimacing, he pressed the edges of the wound together and willed that the bleeding stop.
The Sensitive Man|Poul William Anderson
Then, his work finished, he threw the mattock into the brush and set out again, grimacing disgustedly and scratching himself.
Flight From Tomorrow|Henry Beam Piper

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 of grimace

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

Origin of grimace

OTHER WORDS FROM grimace

Words related to grimace

How to use grimace in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for grimace

Derived forms of grimace

Word Origin for grimace