as in frowning
to distort one's face
playgoers grimaced at the actor's terrible attempt at a French accent
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Recent Examples of grimacing
Mark scored 29 for the Longhorns, grimacing and clearly in pain limping on his injured leg through the closing minutes when the sixth-year senior’s team needed him most.
—
Janie McCauley, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Mark scored 29 for the Longhorns, grimacing and clearly in pain, limping on his injured leg through the closing minutes when the sixth-year senior's team needed him most.
—CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Mark scored 29 for the Longhorns, grimacing and clearly in pain limping on his injured leg through the closing minutes when the sixth-year senior’s team needed him most.
—Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
Ref Bankes initially ignored the wide-eyed protests of several Chelsea players to flash only his yellow card as Garnacho writhed, grimacing on the floor and clutching his left leg.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Fully aware of how costly the mistake was, Glenn couldn’t hide her disappointment immediately after hitting her final pose, grimacing and trying to hold back her emotions.
—Alice Park, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
Jones’s Dragoool suggests a fusion of Oldman, Karloff’s Mummy and the Cryptkeeper, with shades of Klaus Kinski, Willem Dafoe, Heath Ledger and a grimacing carp.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Feb. 2026
She could be seen grimacing after making a small error during her performance, landing awkwardly off a spinning double axel.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 7 Feb. 2026
Doncic went up and down the court several times, grimacing in pain.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Janie McCauley, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Mark scored 29 for the Longhorns, grimacing and clearly in pain, limping on his injured leg through the closing minutes when the sixth-year senior's team needed him most.
—CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Mark scored 29 for the Longhorns, grimacing and clearly in pain limping on his injured leg through the closing minutes when the sixth-year senior’s team needed him most.
—Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
Ref Bankes initially ignored the wide-eyed protests of several Chelsea players to flash only his yellow card as Garnacho writhed, grimacing on the floor and clutching his left leg.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Fully aware of how costly the mistake was, Glenn couldn’t hide her disappointment immediately after hitting her final pose, grimacing and trying to hold back her emotions.
—Alice Park, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
Jones’s Dragoool suggests a fusion of Oldman, Karloff’s Mummy and the Cryptkeeper, with shades of Klaus Kinski, Willem Dafoe, Heath Ledger and a grimacing carp.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Feb. 2026
She could be seen grimacing after making a small error during her performance, landing awkwardly off a spinning double axel.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 7 Feb. 2026
Doncic went up and down the court several times, grimacing in pain.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grimacing
Verb
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Hubbard posted an image of herself with a disgusted look on her face from earlier in Season 10, while Dillard shared a photo of himself frowning, also from a scene in the show.—
Payton Turkeltaub,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
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Subscribers and consumer advocates may be frowning on Netflix’s latest price hikes, but Wall Street is celebrating the move.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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He was picked up first on meth charges on May 14, 1986, according to news reports and a San Francisco police booking photo, which shows him in a blue hoodie scowling into the camera.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
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Then there was that image circulating in the bowels of the internet that showed a man who looked exactly like JD scowling at an unidentifiable brunette woman in a restaurant.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Joan and Lynn were staring at Louise with entirely blank expressions.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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Our first glimpse of her, before this road trip, was staring blankly, maybe suicidally, into a river.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Something of a Hurley whisperer, who is there to translate what the coach wants – minus the additional adjectives – for his teammates, usually sitting and smirking while Hurley riffs on the grievance of the day.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2026
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Standing above it all is Elijah Wood as the Council lawyer, who seems to be silently smirking at everything that happens, which is not an inappropriate response.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In character as a free spirit who scorns social convention, Davis is all haughty tosses of the head and sneering lines.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
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Chalamet, whose grandmother, mother, and sister all performed with the New York City Ballet, is not sneering at the artists.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grimacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimacing. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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