as in to frown
to distort one's face
playgoers grimaced at the actor's terrible attempt at a French accent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scowl
a twisting of the facial features in disgust or disapproval
he made a grimace when he tasted the medicine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of grimace
Sarah Shephard, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Such movements were rapid…the outer ear and the corners of the mouth which would suddenly be drawn upwards and outwards; a whole series of grimaces was observable, none of which involved the eyes or tongue.
—Caitlyn Murphy, Hazlitt, 13 Nov. 2024
The researchers found that when people fake pain, their mouth-opening action during grimaces is too regular.
—IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2014
There’s no need to ask for his further blessings, and having noticed Philip’s many grimaces of disapproval in the background of Eddie’s selfies, Elsbeth and Kaya decide to attend a performance themselves, sitting in his late grandmother’s seats.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grimace
Noun
Muscles bulging and soaked in sweat, his face is etched in a grimace of extreme exertion.
—Sarah Shephard, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Such movements were rapid…the outer ear and the corners of the mouth which would suddenly be drawn upwards and outwards; a whole series of grimaces was observable, none of which involved the eyes or tongue.
—Caitlyn Murphy, Hazlitt, 13 Nov. 2024
The researchers found that when people fake pain, their mouth-opening action during grimaces is too regular.
—IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2014
There’s no need to ask for his further blessings, and having noticed Philip’s many grimaces of disapproval in the background of Eddie’s selfies, Elsbeth and Kaya decide to attend a performance themselves, sitting in his late grandmother’s seats.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grimace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grimace
Verb
-
When Verbeek mentioned the Knot, Guadarrama shook his head and frowned.—
Adam Iscoe,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Even between husband and wife, the use of any contraceptives was frowned upon — and still is, officially.—
Laura Gómez,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
A little over an hour later, Zalatoris walked out of the scoring building with a tight scowl.—
Brody Miller,
The Athletic,
16 Mar. 2025
-
Dave comes off like a human scowl, and requires little of Liu besides completely tamping down any sense of natural charisma the Shang-Chi star has.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Perhaps the Staring Girl is just that, a staring girl.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
7 Apr. 2025
-
But Oskar continued to be mesmerized, staring at the rotating blades.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Nothing worse than burning your mouth and chewing then breathing like a dragon.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
-
It does so by replacing the minerals in your teeth that would otherwise be lost to acid coming from bacteria in your mouth.—
Joseph Choi,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Yet everything remains the same for Delia whose romantic fantasies have given way to an embrace of her roles as dutiful wife and loving mother despite the sneering condescension and outright physical abuse at the hands of her strutting petty tyrant husband Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea).—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
7 Mar. 2025
-
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have the vulgarity to sneer at what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is wearing?—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Here are six real books coming out this week, with dust jackets that reflect their real contents: mysteries and mishaps, often told with a sly smirk.—
Colin Dwyer,
NPR,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Hartford Courant Bueckers took and hit the 3-pointer with a shrug and a smirk.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grimace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimace. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share