grin
1 Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a broad smile.
-
the act of producing a broad smile.
-
the act of withdrawing the lips and showing the teeth, as in anger or pain.
noun
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to smile with the lips drawn back revealing the teeth or express (something) by such a smile
to grin a welcome
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(intr) to draw back the lips revealing the teeth, as in a snarl or grimace
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informal to suffer trouble or hardship without complaint
noun
-
a broad smile
-
a snarl or grimace
Synonym Usage
See laugh.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of grin1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English grinnen, grennen, Old English grennian; cognate with Old High German grennan “to mutter”
Origin of grin2
First recorded before 900; Middle English grin(e), grinne, Old English grin, gryn
Explanation
When you grin, you smile. You're likely to grin when your sister tells you a particularly funny knock-knock joke. There's some disagreement about the difference between a grin and a smile — some define a grin as a broad smile that exposes your teeth, but others consider a grin to be a smile with lips tightly closed. Either way, a grin usually expresses amusement, although it sometimes has a mischievous or sly implication: "No one confessed to letting the rabbit loose in the classroom, but one student's grin gave her away."
Vocabulary lists containing grin
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:
Now they tend to be pools and beaches,” he says with a grin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
In one photo, Berlant, fresh from glam, seduces the camera; in the other, her face contorts into a rascally grin, eyes half-crossed for effect.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
I can just picture Erling Haaland scoring their winner, and celebrating with a big grin on his face.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
"Pair density waves are the Cheshire Cat's grin of superconductivity," said Eduardo Fradkin, an Illinois Grainger Engineering physics professor and a project co-lead.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
We’re greeted by a small child with splotchy pink cheeks and a toothless grin.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Smith denied this, and Schmitt grinned as if he’d just effectively locked Smith in jail forever on perjury charges.
From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026
Then he turned to the visitors dugout, grinned and lifted both fists above his head.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
"I was reading about the football," grinned Jamie, 65, adding that he was "not the most political".
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
"I guess he'd think it was a bit weird," he grinned.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
Siobhan grinned so wide Ella could spot most of her teeth.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Donald was grinning throughout his session with reporters while replaying the missed opportunity — and the new opportunity on the horizon with edge rusher Myles Garrett back at practice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Its rocky and icy features resemble a grinning skull seen from the side, seemingly gazing toward nearby Devil Island.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
Others—depicting grinning clowns, crying women and morphing objects and creatures, including human figures potted like plants—recall children’s drawings and John Tenniel’s illustrations for “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Jumping down from her uncle's shoulders, seven-year-old Dona ran grinning to her mother after Pope Leo XIV waved at her on his way past on a famed Paris avenue.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
“Okay,” Sara said, grinning but a bit embarrassed.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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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.
