: a facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain
a grimace of hate and rage
grimacer
noun
grimaced; grimacing
: 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
Chris BallardMy father shifted his weight and grimaced. The sheet slid off his injured leg, the calf swollen, purple as a plum …—Bernard Cooper
Bernard CooperSynonyms
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
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
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
See all Example Sentences for grimace 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
See all Example Sentences for grimace
Dictionary Entries Near grimace
Cite this Entry
“Grimace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grimace. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share