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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Somewhere in the basketball multiverse, Sydney Colson grins and rubs her hands together. Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 17 May 2025 And if Laura’s tone of grinning noodginess is easy enough to rationalize away, her other foster child is not. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 May 2025
Noun
Despite sporting a cast on his right hand that prohibited him from playing guitar, Rodriguez, then 65, was in superb voice and gregarious spirit, flashing his 1000-watt grin in between verses. Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2025 On the way out, surrounded by reporters, Robinson breaks character and grins as Towns walks by. Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 May 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grin. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

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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