grin

1 of 2

verb

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 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 grinLouise Erdrich
I 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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
That grin originally was directed toward the Rolling Hills community, Beyelia said, but once the Harbor Freeway was completed, painters moved the face so it could be seen by southbound motorists. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024 Alongside the sweet photo, in which the 3-year-old sits atop someone’s shoulders in front of some palm trees, the Kansas City Current co-owner, 29, explained the toddler’s wide grin. Bailey Richards, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for grin 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of grin was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near grin

Cite this Entry

“Grin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grin. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

grin

verb
grinned; grinning
: to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in laughter
grin noun

More from Merriam-Webster on grin

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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