grin
1to smile broadly, especially as an indication of pleasure, amusement, or the like.
to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth, as a snarling dog or a person in pain.
to show or be exposed through an opening, crevice, etc.
to express or produce by grinning: The little boy grinned his approval of the gift.
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.
Origin of grin
1synonym study For grin
Other words for grin
Opposites for grin
Other words from grin
- grinner, noun
- grin·ning·ly, adverb
Other definitions for grin (2 of 2)
Chiefly Scot. a snare like a running noose.
Archaic. to catch in a nooselike snare.
Origin of grin
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use grin in a sentence
Some, such as those belonging to turtles, look like a wizened, puckered grin.
This fossilized butthole gives us a rare window into dinosaur sex | Ellie Shechet | January 20, 2021 | Popular-ScienceWhile standing on home plate, Ng crossed her hands and wore the faintest of grins.
Baseball told Kim Ng no (and no, and no) before it finally said yes | Candace Buckner | November 19, 2020 | Washington PostDuring an interview he was friendly and talkative, with a wide grin and neatly combed light brown hair.
He Has a Developmental Disability and Needs a Caretaker. The State Suggested Diapers Instead. | by Amy Silverman for Arizona Daily Star | November 6, 2020 | ProPublicaHe's grinning now and actually stretching his legs--his cane has fallen away as he speaks of the !
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOne measly year later, Pam woke to find a naked Ewing grinning at her in the shower.
‘The Walking Dead’ Fans Demand: Bring Back Beth! | Melissa Leon | December 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
At 5:00 a.m. the clubs get going properly; the Forbes stumble down from their loggias, grinning and swaying tipsily.
As he relishes his triumph, a larger, grinning version of the man materializes in the background, eyeing his prey.
‘Interstellar’ Is Wildly Ambitious, Very Flawed, and Absolutely Worth Seeing | Marlow Stern | November 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“I thought North Korea might shoot down the plane, I thought they could hear my thoughts,” she says, grinning.
How ‘Titanic ’Helped This Brave Young Woman Escape North Korea’s Totalitarian State | Lizzie Crocker | October 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLeaving Howlet and Meadows grinning at a highly improbable adventure, he slapped the boy on the shoulder.
Fee of the Frontier | Horace Brown FyfeThe Danes were staring at him also, and he was grinning at them with white teeth through thick lips in all unconcern.
A Prince of Cornwall | Charles W. WhistlerYou get an ordinary, grinning, red-headed boy, and you have to educate him.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25) | Robert Louis StevensonLetting the rifle drop and swing from the pommel, he met the charge of two grinning and scowling lancers.
Overland | John William De ForestHis teeth were of the most pearly whiteness, and he made a constant display of them, grinning and chattering continually.
Minnie's Pet Monkey | Madeline Leslie
British Dictionary definitions for grin
/ (ɡrɪn) /
to smile with the lips drawn back revealing the teeth or express (something) by such a smile: to grin a welcome
(intr) to draw back the lips revealing the teeth, as in a snarl or grimace
grin and bear it informal to suffer trouble or hardship without complaint
a broad smile
a snarl or grimace
Origin of grin
1Derived forms of grin
- grinner, noun
- grinning, adjective, noun
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
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