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
Miguel and Angel were grinning maniacs standing in the middle of the set with their arms around each other’s shoulders, like ballplayers after a winning game surrounded by a circle of glowing fans. Helen Schulman, The Atlantic, 26 June 2025 The foul came just moments after nearly the entire 2025-26 UConn roster took its seats in the lower bowl to watch their former teammate’s homecoming, and Huskies junior KK Arnold was on her feet grinning as Bueckers briefly attempted to argue the call. Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 21 June 2025
Noun
Jesus, especially, had a grin that reminded his loved ones of Mickey Mouse. Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 29 July 2025 There was a knowing grin shared between father and son as the latter walked past the away dugout following his second-half substitution. Beren Cross, New York Times, 28 July 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 2 Aug. 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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