: a facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain
a grimace of hate and rage
grimacer
noun
grimaced; grimacing
: to distort one's face in an expression usually of pain, disgust, or disapproval
Grimacing slightly, he runs his finger over the back of his heel, where a deep … fissure has opened inside a callus.—
Chris Ballard
Chris BallardMy father shifted his weight and grimaced. The sheet slid off his injured leg, the calf swollen, purple as a plum …—Bernard Cooper
Bernard CooperExamples of grimace in a Sentence
Noun
The patient made a painful grimace as the doctor examined his wound.
he made a grimace when he tasted the medicine
Verb
playgoers grimaced at the actor's terrible attempt at a French accent
Recent Examples on the Web
Megan Feringa, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
In the video, Claffey tries to move Ansell away from the subject and grimaces at the camera when his costar seems to say a little too much.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Feb. 2026
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
The fifth-year senior also was seen grimacing in pain during the game.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grimace
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.
Noun
And yet, the wry grimaces that followed said the quiet part out loud.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
In the video, Claffey tries to move Ansell away from the subject and grimaces at the camera when his costar seems to say a little too much.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
Towns was downgraded to questionable Friday morning, shot around ahead of tipoff against Chicago, then grimaced and grabbed at his arm before leaving the floor and being ruled out for the night with a right elbow impingement.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
The fifth-year senior also was seen grimacing in pain during the game.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grimace
Cite this Entry
“Grimace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grimace. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
