grimace
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
- grimacer noun
- grimacingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of grimace
First recorded in 1645–55; from French, ultimately from Frankish grima (unrecorded) “mask” ( cf. grim, grime) + -azo, from Latin -āceus -aceous
Explanation
The grimace on her face when he asked her to the prom told him her answer was "no" before she said a word. A grimace is a facial expression that usually suggests disgust or pain, but sometimes comic exaggeration. Picture someone wrinkling his nose, squeezing his eyes shut, and twisting his mouth and you'll have a pretty solid mental image of a grimace. It can be a verb, as in "the class grimaced at the teacher's suggestion of a pop quiz." Or it words as a noun. "The class gave a grimace when the teacher suggested a pop quiz." Its forerunner was the 17th century Spanish grimazo, meaning caricature, and grima, meaning fright.
Vocabulary lists containing grimace
The Outsiders
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Hatchet
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"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Three portable toilets in the west parking lot were so full that a woman repeatedly opened and closed each door with a grimace and then walked away.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
“But they saw me grimace a little bit on the mound, and they’re not going to take any chances.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2024
Eyebrows dance above her piercing eyes as her mouth stretches into a toothy grin that’s part smile, part grimace.
From New York Times • Jun. 14, 2024
He missed, with a smile - or perhaps grimace - and a wink to go with it.
From BBC • May 23, 2024
What actually formed on her lips resembled a lemon-sucking grimace.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
