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.]
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 Web
Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Swift flashed her old mine brilliant cut ring to the camera while Kelce grinned wide.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
The tense trailer indicates the series will play up the earlier films’ pulpy Southern Gothic vibe, as well as the terrifying horror of the previous adaptations if Bardem’s sinister, sadistic grin and prison tattoos tell us anything.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grin
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Verb
Hill appeared to grin in his booking photo.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Swift flashed her old mine brilliant cut ring to the camera while Kelce grinned wide.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
The wide grins across the faces of every Lakers player were authentic.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
The tense trailer indicates the series will play up the earlier films’ pulpy Southern Gothic vibe, as well as the terrifying horror of the previous adaptations if Bardem’s sinister, sadistic grin and prison tattoos tell us anything.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grin
Cite this Entry
“Grin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grin. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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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