grimace

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noun

gri·​mace ˈgri-məs  gri-ˈmās 

: a facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain

a grimace of hate and rage

grimacer noun

grimace

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verb

grimaced; grimacing

intransitive verb

: to distort one's face in an expression usually of pain, disgust, or disapproval

Grimacing slightly, he runs his finger over the back of his heel, where a deep … fissure has opened inside a callus.

—Chris Ballard

My father shifted his weight and grimaced. The sheet slid off his injured leg, the calf swollen, purple as a plum …

—Bernard Cooper

Synonyms

Noun

• face
• frown
• lower
• lour
• moue
• mouth
• mow
• mug
• pout
• scowl
• snoot

Verb

• mouth
• mug

Examples of grimace in a Sentence

Noun

The patient made a painful grimace as the doctor examined his wound.

he made a grimace when he tasted the medicine

Verb

playgoers grimaced at the actor's terrible attempt at a French accent

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The researchers found that when people fake pain, their mouth-opening action during grimaces is too regular. —IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2014

There’s no need to ask for his further blessings, and having noticed Philip’s many grimaces of disapproval in the background of Eddie’s selfies, Elsbeth and Kaya decide to attend a performance themselves, sitting in his late grandmother’s seats. —Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024

Verb

Towns took a hard fall and landed on his tailbone toward the end of the third quarter, then grimaced in pain a couple possessions later after getting fouled on a drive to the rim. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 18 Nov. 2024

Then River Ryan shook his right hand and grimaced after delivering a slider to Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Michael A. Taylor, cutting his fourth big-league start short. —Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 10 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from Middle French, alteration of grimache, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English grīma mask

First Known Use

Noun

1651, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1762, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

grimace

noun

grim·​ace

ˈgrim-əs,

grim-ˈās

: facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain

grimace verb