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
Ed, who was in his 60s, grinned.
—
Nick Dothée, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
As red and white confetti rained down onto the field at Hard Rock Stadium Monday night, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti — known for his stern demeanor on the field — widely grinned towards his players and coaches knowing his team had done what many previously thought was impossible.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 20 Jan. 2026
The pilot, Jonathon Rae, a young Aussie with a dashing mustache, looked down and grinned.
—Susan Casey, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
The bare-faced mom grinned while snapping a selfie with her baby in a crib behind her.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 1 Jan. 2026
Bidunga grinned when asked about the players dumping water on their coach.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Nov. 2025
Yazid watched the other boys hurrying away, then turned to him and grinned.
—Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Netanyahu did, then nodded and grinned.
—Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025
The remarks were followed by a roughly 30-second standing ovation, including from former Vice President Dick Cheney, as Pelosi grinned in approval.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2025
Nick Dothée, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
As red and white confetti rained down onto the field at Hard Rock Stadium Monday night, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti — known for his stern demeanor on the field — widely grinned towards his players and coaches knowing his team had done what many previously thought was impossible.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 20 Jan. 2026
The pilot, Jonathon Rae, a young Aussie with a dashing mustache, looked down and grinned.
—Susan Casey, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
The bare-faced mom grinned while snapping a selfie with her baby in a crib behind her.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 1 Jan. 2026
Bidunga grinned when asked about the players dumping water on their coach.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Nov. 2025
Yazid watched the other boys hurrying away, then turned to him and grinned.
—Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Netanyahu did, then nodded and grinned.
—Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025
The remarks were followed by a roughly 30-second standing ovation, including from former Vice President Dick Cheney, as Pelosi grinned in approval.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinned
Verb
-
Even as a Black person who smiled ear to ear when Black people fought for laughter with the mighty pressure of their jaws.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Maxey found Embiid for an alley-oop dunk late in the first half and Maxey jumped up and down with excitement as both players smiled toward Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who led the Sixers for three seasons.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While none of the Alexanders appeared to crack any smiles, Agnifilo laughed along gamely when the judge and prospective jurors exchanged jokes to lighten a tense mood.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
27 Jan. 2026
-
During their visit to the working handweaving studio, the Princess of Wales laughed and placed a hand on her husband's arm.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grinned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinned. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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