as in smiled
to express an emotion (as amusement) by curving the lips upward
grinned at the kids' fooling around in the pool
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Recent Examples of grinned
At the 2018 National Board of Review Awards, Zahara and Shiloh grinned ear to ear with their mom on the red carpet.
—
Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026
Watching Woolery climb the UCLA RBI record book, Grant grinned and reveled in it.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Assaidi, who grinned widely as he was led out of an NYPD stationhouse on his way to court for his arraignment, did not have any prior arrests, police said.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
As the others grinned and grimaced at their rivals’ responses, Becerra was as stone-faced as Buster Keaton.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
With that, Wedgewood leaned into the microphone and grinned.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2026
Haight, 22, grinned wide as teammates celebrated with him along the boards after his first goal, which came in the ninth game of his rookie campaign.
—Oc Register, 15 Apr. 2026
In response to the King’s pat on the cheek, Louis grinned at his grandfather.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 6 Apr. 2026
Swift flashed her old mine brilliant cut ring to the camera while Kelce grinned wide.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026
Watching Woolery climb the UCLA RBI record book, Grant grinned and reveled in it.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Assaidi, who grinned widely as he was led out of an NYPD stationhouse on his way to court for his arraignment, did not have any prior arrests, police said.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
As the others grinned and grimaced at their rivals’ responses, Becerra was as stone-faced as Buster Keaton.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
With that, Wedgewood leaned into the microphone and grinned.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2026
Haight, 22, grinned wide as teammates celebrated with him along the boards after his first goal, which came in the ninth game of his rookie campaign.
—Oc Register, 15 Apr. 2026
In response to the King’s pat on the cheek, Louis grinned at his grandfather.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 6 Apr. 2026
Swift flashed her old mine brilliant cut ring to the camera while Kelce grinned wide.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinned
Verb
-
At the end of the movie, as Perry quite literally climbed up onto the stage for a Q&A, Trudeau warmly smiled and joined the audience for a standing ovation.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
He and his wife Peng Liyuan were greeted by Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju, who broadly smiled and clapped.—
Hyung-Jin Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
For four hours, the group of artists laughed, drank, and debated their position in the rapidly shifting cultural landscape.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
9 June 2026
-
Rudd said as the late-night audience laughed.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grinned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinned. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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