grin

1 of 2

verb

ˈgrin 

grinned; grinning

intransitive verb

: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in amusement or laughter

broadly : smile

grinning from ear to ear

grinner noun

grinningly

ˈgri-niŋ-lē 

adverb

grin

2 of 2

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

I wanted to wipe the grin off his face [=make him stop smiling.]

Synonyms

Verb

• beam
• smile

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

Verb

Dated July 4, 1921, the group portrait features a maniacally grinning Torrance amid a sea of camera-facing partygoers. —Spike Carter, Air Mail, 14 June 2025

From clumsy puppies to grinning chimps, adorable animal content is fantastically popular on social media. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025

Noun

The ability to recite an obscure Lloyd Banks verse earned you some prideful grins or, even better, earnest assistance with your performance. —Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025

Giada De Laurentiis poses with a grin on her face in an all white ensemble during the Classic. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 23 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English grennen, from Old English grennian; akin to Old High German grennen to snarl

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1565, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing grin

• grin and bear it
• grin from ear to ear
• wear a silly grin/smile on one's face
• wipe the grin off his face

Rhymes for grin

• been
• bin
• chin
• din
• djinn
• fin
• finn
• gin
• in
• kin
• linn
• linne

Kids Definition

grin

verb

ˈgrin 

grinned; grinning

: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in laughter

grin noun