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Synonyms

grin

1 American  
[grin] / grɪn /

noun

  1. Chiefly Scot. a snare like a running noose.

verb (used with object)

grinned, grinning

  1. Archaic. to catch in a nooselike snare.

grin 2 American  
[grin] / grɪn /

verb (used without object)

grinned, grinning

  1. to smile broadly, especially as an indication of pleasure, amusement, or the like.

    Synonyms:
    crack a smile, smirk, smile, beam
    Antonyms:
    glare, frown

  2. to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth, as a snarling dog or a person in pain.

  3. to show or be exposed through an opening, crevice, etc.

verb (used with object)

grinned, grinning

  1. to express or produce by grinning.

    The little boy grinned his approval of the gift.

noun

  1. a broad smile.

  2. the act of producing a broad smile.

  3. the act of withdrawing the lips and showing the teeth, as in anger or pain.

grin British  
/ ɡrɪn /

verb

  1. to smile with the lips drawn back revealing the teeth or express (something) by such a smile

    to grin a welcome

  2. (intr) to draw back the lips revealing the teeth, as in a snarl or grimace

  3. informal to suffer trouble or hardship without complaint

"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

noun

  1. a broad smile

  2. a snarl or grimace

"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

Related Words

See laugh.

Other Word Forms

  • grinner noun
  • grinning adjective
  • grinningly adverb

Etymology

Origin of grin1

First recorded before 900; Middle English grin(e), grinne, Old English grin, gryn

Origin of grin1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English grinnen, grennen, Old English grennian; cognate with Old High German grennan “to mutter”

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.

“A brother from another mother,” the hotel staffer told JOP, who flashed a grin glittering with tooth gems.

From Los Angeles Times

With a cheeky grin on her face, she says: "I want to be Tess and present Strictly Come Dancing! I told the BBC producers, so maybe it will happen."

From BBC

Four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka showed flashes of the emotion she demonstrates in competitive matches, bearing a mischievous grin when she won points.

From BBC

If 2025 had a face, it was undoubtedly made of vinyl, with pointy ears, big eyes and a grin with precisely nine teeth.

From BBC

"It's so juicy, and the more you chew, the tastier it gets," he said, grinning as he and his friends sat around the grilling stone and bubbling pot.

From Barron's

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.