grimacing

verb

present participle of grimace
as in frowning
to distort one's face playgoers grimaced at the actor's terrible attempt at a French accent

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 grimacing Garner started the video with a clip of her drinking leftovers from the drink container and seemingly getting a brain freeze, holding her hand to her forehead and grimacing. — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026 On Monday’s episode of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, a grimacing Stewart was flabbergasted at why, exactly, the president elbowed his way into a spotlight clearly not intended for him. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 21 July 2026 Seigler remained down for several minutes, bleeding from one arm and grimacing in pain as interim manager Chad Tracy and trainers rushed out to check him for a head injury. — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 9 July 2026 But the Canadian dug in to hold, and Djokovic was still grimacing in pain in between points. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 7 July 2026 Adames departed Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Braves due to back spasms after striking out to end the seventh inning, noticeably grimacing during the follow-through of his swing. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 3 July 2026 Murdaugh was grimacing and biting his lower lip during the exchange. — Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026 On Wallace’s third attempt, David accepts the letter while grimacing. — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 27 June 2026 But there’s also a lot of competitive animosity, puffing out, and out grimacing each other. — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grimacing
  1. frowning
  2. scowling
  3. staring
  4. smirking
  5. sneering
Verb
  • This focuses readers on the all-black uniforms of the veiled pupils, who—in a long frame at the center of the page—sit between the looming, frowning teacher on the right and Marji on the left, who stands up to explain that her uncle was executed by the Islamic regime.
    — Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
  • Woods, 50, is seen frowning in the photo, taken shortly after the legendary golfer was booked into jail on March 27 after his Land Rover rolled over in Jupiter Island, Florida.
    — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Definition of frowning
Verb
  • Whether his teams were good or bad, his outspoken and occasionally scowling personality almost always commanded the room.
    — Carl Steward, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The note was written on Cohn’s personal stationery, imprinted with a scowling caricature of himself.
    — Kai Bird, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of scowling
Verb
  • Some edits of the clip show the character in black-and-white, staring at the camera, emulating a horror movie scene.
    — Owen Carry, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Some of them still live in cabins and grow their own food and others spend their days staring at Microsoft Office screens, but versions of the spontaneous hippie archetype still live on within each of them.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of staring
Verb
  • La Nueva Violencia is a smirking, libidinous play for the dance floor, picking up where the distorted guitars of the last record left off and channeling each new riff into sleazy post-punk and electroclash that stick to the body like sweaty velvet.
    — Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
  • In memes, Dafoe's smirking declaration has been used to represent overconfidence and pseudointellectualism.
    — Owen Carry, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of smirking
Verb
  • If traditional noir drew much of its energy from sneering with style at America’s sunny master narratives, those narratives have largely broken down, as has the homogenous mass-media ecosystem that endlessly recirculated them.
    — Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
  • But the Velvets were sneering at the false dichotomy between those things back in the ’60s.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Definition of sneering

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grimaces
grimacing
grime
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Cite this Entry

“Grimacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimacing. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of grimacing for Spanish Speakers

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