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.]
Synonyms
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 WebCharles Bethea, The New Yorker, 3 July 2024
Buchanan grinned when asked to identify an NBA player that reminds him of Furphy.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 29 June 2024
William Curtis, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2024
When Britt pulls away at the end of the kiss, Lucy continues to lean in with a goofy grin on her face — an endearingly relatable moment of cringe comedy.
—Samantha Paige Rosen, Them, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for grin 
Verb
On December 21, 2018, a few days after posting and liking a grinning selfie on Facebook, May drove a Colorado prison truck off the prison grounds.
—Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 3 July 2024
Buchanan grinned when asked to identify an NBA player that reminds him of Furphy.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 29 June 2024
Noun
As the new 2024 McLaren GT pulled into my driveway, the striking color combination of the Belize Blue body cloaked by a shining gloss black roof immediately put a grin on my face.
—William Curtis, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2024
When Britt pulls away at the end of the kiss, Lucy continues to lean in with a goofy grin on her face — an endearingly relatable moment of cringe comedy.
—Samantha Paige Rosen, Them, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for grin
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near grin
Cite this Entry
“Grin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grin. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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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