Adjacent Words

Grin definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GRIN, v.i.
1. To set the teeth together and open the lips, or to open the mouth and withdraw the lips from the teeth, so as to show them, as in laughter or scorn.
Fools grin on fools.
2. To fix the teeth, as in anguish.
GRIN, n. The act of closing the teeth and showing them, or of
withdrawing the lips and showing the teeth.
GRIN, n. A snare or trap. [Not in use.]
GRIN, v.t. To express by grinning.
He grinned horribly a ghastly smile.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement [syn: smile, smiling, grin, grinning] v
1: to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl

Merriam Webster's

intransitive verb (grinned; grinning) Etymology: Middle English grennen, from Old English grennian; akin to Old High German grennen to snarl Date: before 12th century to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially in amusement or laughter; broadly smile • grin noun • grinner noun • grinningly adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. (grinned, grinning) 1 intr. a smile broadly, showing the teeth. b make a forced, unrestrained, or stupid smile. 2 tr. express by grinning (grinned his satisfaction). --n. the act or action of grinning. Phrases and idioms: grin and bear it take pain or misfortune stoically. Derivatives: grinner n. grinningly adv. Etymology: OE grennian f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Grin Grin, v. t. To express by grinning. Grinned horrible a ghastly smile. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Grin Grin, n. The act of closing the teeth and showing them, or of withdrawing the lips and showing the teeth; a hard, forced, or sneering smile. --I. Watts. He showed twenty teeth at a grin. --Addison.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Grin Grin (gr[i^]n), n. [AS. grin.] A snare; a gin. [Obs.] Like a bird that hasteth to his grin. --Remedy of Love.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Grin Grin, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Grinned (gr[i^]nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Grinning.] [OE. grinnen, grennen, AS. grennian, Sw. grina; akin to D. grijnen, G. greinen, OHG. grinan, Dan. grine. [root]35. Cf. Groan.] 1. To show the teeth, as a dog; to snarl. 2. To set the teeth together and open the lips, or to open the mouth and withdraw the lips from the teeth, so as to show them, as in laughter, scorn, or pain. The pangs of death do make him grin. --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(grins, grinning, grinned) 1. When you grin, you smile broadly. He grins, delighted at the memory... Sarah tried several times to catch Philip's eye, but he just grinned at her. ...a statue of a grinning old man cutting the throat of a deer. VERB: V, V at n, V-ing 2. A grin is a broad smile. She came out of his office with a big grin on her face... Bobby looked at her with a sheepish grin. N-COUNT: oft adj N 3. If you grin and bear it, you accept a difficult or unpleasant situation without complaining because you know there is nothing you can do to make things better. They cannot stand the sight of each other, but they will just have to grin and bear it. PHRASE: Vs inflect

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. Show the teeth (in laughing expressing scorn, etc.).

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To grin in a glass case; to be anatomized for murder: the skeletons of many criminals are preserved in glass cases, at Surgeons' hall.

Moby Thesaurus

beam, bright smile, broad grin, crack a smile, ear-to-ear grin, gleaming smile, glowing smile, grinning, idiotic grin, sardonic grin, simper, smile, smile brightly, smiling, smirk, stupid grin, toothful grin