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

Those could also prove useful, but will face the challenge of distinguishing facial expressions unique to pain rather than similar grimaces related to being hungry. —IEEE Spectrum, 3 May 2017

In the movie, the monkey is a two-foot-tall sculpted plastic model whose arms bang up and down on a drum, as his mouth opens up to bare its teeth in a violent grimace. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025

Verb

The 32-year-old, though, was clearly in a lot of pain and was seen grimacing throughout. —Ben Church, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025

The star center experienced pain in his left knee, briefly left the bench, and limped up and down the TD Garden parquet while grimacing in discomfort. —Bobby Krivitsky, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025

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

Rhymes for grimace

• elymus
• maximus
• epididymis
• euonymus
• pseudonymous

Kids Definition

grimace

noun

grim·​ace

ˈgrim-əs,

grim-ˈās

: facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain

grimace verb