grinned; grinning
: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in amusement or laughter
grinner
noun
plural grins
: a facial expression produced by grinning especially in pleasure or amusement
a happy grin
She grew into a nimble young girl of seven winters, a thoughtful girl with shining brown eyes and a wide grin …—
Louise Erdrich
Louise ErdrichI wanted to wipe the grin off his face [=make him stop smiling.]
Synonyms
Examples of grin in a Sentence
Verb
She continued to tease her brother, grinning wickedly.
grinned at the kids' fooling around in the pool
Recent Examples on the WebMackenzie Schmidt, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024
Marlon Wayans shared his excitement for the age-old franchise in an Instagram post Tuesday, posed next to a grinning grim reaper.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2024
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Oct. 2024
Once again written and directed by Parker Finn, the film follows a malevolent spirit that jumps hosts via a diabolical grin, this time infecting a troubled pop star (Naomi Scott) with a ton of trauma to feed on, according to The Hollywood Reporter‘s review of the film.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grin 
Verb
When Carats beam up at Seventeen on the stage, Seventeen is grinning right back.
—Mackenzie Schmidt, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024
Marlon Wayans shared his excitement for the age-old franchise in an Instagram post Tuesday, posed next to a grinning grim reaper.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
He was coiffed like one of the Hudson Brothers, with a chiseled grin redolent of Engelbert Humperdinck.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Oct. 2024
Once again written and directed by Parker Finn, the film follows a malevolent spirit that jumps hosts via a diabolical grin, this time infecting a troubled pop star (Naomi Scott) with a ton of trauma to feed on, according to The Hollywood Reporter‘s review of the film.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grin
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near grin
Cite this Entry
“Grin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grin. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
grin
verb
grinned; grinning
: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in laughter
grin
noun
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