Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Grin |
GrinNoun1. A facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement. Verb1. To draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "grin" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references) |
Note: Grin \Grin\, intransitive verb [imperfect & past participle. Grinned(gr[i^]nd); Grinning.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Census | (Geographic Reference Identification Number) A specialized geographic coding scheme used to facilitate clerical processing by reducing transcription workloads, that is, the multiple set of codes for an entity are assigned a single code that relates to them. (references) |
Slang in 1811 | GRIN. To grin in a glass case; to be anatomized for murder: the skeletons of many criminals are preserved in glass cases, at Surgeons' hall. Source: 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
GRIN | English | Germplasm Resources Information Network | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: GrinSynonyms: grinning (n), smile (n), smiling (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Amusement | Smile, simper, smirk; grin, grin like a Cheshire cat; mock, laugh in one's sleeve; laugh, laugh outright; giggle, titter, crow, snicker, chuckle, cackle; burst out, burst into a fit of laughter; shout, split, roar. |
Dejection | Lower, look downcast, frown, pout; hang down the head; pull a long face, make a long face; laugh on the wrong side of the mouth; grin a ghastly smile; look blue, look like a drowned man; lay to heart, take to heart. |
Disapprobation | Animadversion, reflection, stricture, objection, exception, criticism; sardonic grin, sardonic laugh; sarcasm, insinuation, innuendo; bad compliment, poor compliment, left-handed compliment. |
Rejoicing | Smile, simper, smirk, grin; broad grin, sardonic grin. |
Ridicule | Squib, satire, skit, quip, quib, grin. |
Noun: ridicule, derision; sardonic smile, sardonic grin; irrision; scoffing; (disrespect); mockery, quiz, banter, irony, persiflage, raillery, chaff, badinage; quizzing; Verb: asteism. | |
Play upon, play tricks upon; fool to the top of one's bent; laugh at, grin at, smile at; poke fun at. | |
Submission | Pocket the affront; make the best of, make a virtue of necessity; grin and abide, grin and bear it, shrug the shoulders, resign oneself; submit with a good grace; (bear with). |
Ugliness | Verb: be ugly; Adjective: look ill, grin horribly a ghastly smile, make faces. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Grin |
| English words defined with "grin": Flear, Fleer ♦ Gern, Girn, Grinned, Grinte ♦ leer ♦ wholesome. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "grin": Carmelite ♦ Grin and Bear It ♦ Humble Cow ♦ Nail in One's Coffin ♦ optimism ♦ Philanthropist ♦ Sardonic Smile, Grin, or Laughter. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "grin": Sardonic. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Grin" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Manx (carper), Sranan (flour, meal), Swedish (grin, leer, whine). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | This is the smartest grin I know (Moonlighting; writing credit: Eric Blakeney) Wipe that stupid grin off your face (Moonlighting; writing credit: Eric Blakeney) Experience has taught me that behind every toothy grin hides an extra row of teeth (NewsRadio; writing credit: Scott Bank; Jenny Banks) Big tough ones hunh? Here you are with a hand full of holes, a thumb up your ass, and a big grin to pass the time of day with (The Wild Bunch; writing credit: Walon Green; Roy N. Sickner) | |
Lyrics | And a sad man grin (What It's Like; performing artist: Everlast) Chances are 'cause I wear a silly grin ("Chances Are"; performing artist: Johnny Mathis) And a know it all grin (Building A Mystery; performing artist: Sarah McLachlan) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Grin and Share It (1957) Keep Your Grin Up (1954) The Wearing of the Grin (1951) Grin and Bear It (1933) The Fighting Grin (1918) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Theater & Movies | |
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | As a most engaging grin overspread his features, whispered, try the next sentry, he's easy. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Grin and bear it] His hands are always itching for a pencil and pad .. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Grin and bear it. "...And I say fie on nitpickers of the president's budget who are already asking, 'what comes after a trillion?'". Credit: Library of Congress. | ||
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Christian Nevell Bovee | Something of a person's character may be observed by how they smile. Some never smile they only grin. |
Frank Muir | Wit is a weapon. Jokes are a masculine way of inflicting superiority. But humor is the pursuit of a gentle grin, usually in solitude. |
Henry Fielding | All nature wears one universal grin. |
Samuel Taylor Coleridge | And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin is pride that apes humility. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Sylvie and Bruno | Carroll, Lewis | My Lady turned her head away to conceal the broad grin of triumph that spread over her vast face, like a ripple on a lake |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Douglas Adams | " "That's it," said Zaphod with the sort of grin that would get most people locked away in a room with soft walls. |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | Clergymen paused in the street to address words of exhortation, that brought a crowd, with its mingled grin and frown, around the poor, sinful woman |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | OPTIMISM, n. The doctrine, or belief, that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly, everything good, especially the bad, and everything right that is wrong. It is held with greatest tenacity by those most accustomed to the mischance of falling into adversity, and is most acceptably expounded with the grin that apes a smile. Being a blind faith, it is inaccessible to the light of disproof -- an intellectual disorder, yielding to no treatment but death. It is hereditary, but fortunately not contagious. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Grin" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 93.41% of the time. "Grin" is used about 1,182 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 93.41% | 1,104 | 6,853 |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 5.49% | 65 | 41,645 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 1.1% | 13 | 97,576 |
| Total | 100.00% | 1,182 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "grin": broad grin ♦ grin and bear it ♦ grin at ♦ grin contemptuously ♦ grin from ear to ear ♦ grin horribly a ghastly smile ♦ grin like a cheshire cat ♦ grin to oneself ♦ mocking grin ♦ sardonic grin ♦ stupid grin. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "grin": grin-cracked. | |
Ending with "grin": Gusak-grin, half-grin, jam-grin. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "grin"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | zgërdhihem, zgërdheshje (rictus), zbardhje dhëmbësh, zbardh dhëmbë. (various references) | |
Arabic | كشر (grimace, mow, mug, pull a face, scowl, sniff), تكشير, طحن (crush, flour, grind, grinding, grist, mill, powder, pulverize), إبتسم (keep smiling, smile, smile on), إبتسامة (flash, smile). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | хиля се, хилене, озъбвам се (show one's teeth, snarl), зъбя се (snarl), зъбене (snarl), подхилвам се (smirk). (various references) | |
Chinese | 露'而笑 , '嘴 (Grinned, grinning, GRINS). (various references) | |
Czech | zubit se, ušklíbnout se, smát se (laugh), cenit zuby na, úsmìv (smile), úšklebek (grimace, jeer, sneer, wipe), šklebit se (make pull faces). (various references) | |
Danish | geografisk referenceidentifikationsnummer (geographic reference identification number). (various references) | |
Dutch | geografisch identificatienummer (geographic reference identification number). (various references) | |
Farsi | پوزخندزدن (Simper, Smirk, Sneer, Snicker, Titter), پوزخند (Smirk, Sneer, Snicker), نیش واکردن , تله (Hook, Noose, Pitfall, Quicksand, Snare, Snarl, Train, Trepanation), خنده نیشی , دندان نماءی , دام افکنی , دام (Ambush, Decoy, Net, Noose, Pitfall, Quicksand, Snare, Toil, Trap). (various references) | |
Finnish | virnistys (grimace), virnistellä (grimace, leer, make a wry face, sneer), maantieteellinen yksilötunnus (geographic reference identification number), irvistys (grimace), irvistää (make faces), hymyillä (simper, smile, smile all over one's face, smile on, smirk, sneer), hymyhuuli (simper, smile, smile all over one's face, smile on, smirk, sneer). (various references) | |
French | grimacer (grimace), sourire, rictus, numéro d'identification du lieu géographique, écraser (grind). (various references) | |
German | grinsen (smirk, sneer, to grin, to smirk, to sneer). (various references) | |
Greek | πλατύ χαμόγελο. (various references) | |
Hebrew | לחיך (smile), ל'חך (giggle, titter), חיוך מעוש" (simper, smirk), 'חוך (giggle, ineptitude, ineptness, ludicrousness, ridicule, smile). (various references) | |
Hungarian | vigyorog (his face is all upon the grin, simper, smirk, to grin, to simper), vigyorgás (simper, smirk, sneer). (various references) | |
Indonesian | tersenyum (smile), seringai (grimace, mop), meringis (show one's teeth), cengir (very smile), beringis. (various references) | |
Italian | ghigno (fleer, snigger), sorriso smagliante, sorriso (smile), sogghigno (fleer, sneer), sogghignare (chuckle, sneer), codice geografico nello censimento (geographic reference identification number). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | にして置く (also, as well, broad grin, even, maintain status-quo, not... either, slimy, smile, smile sweetly, too), にいにい蝉 (as for, at, in, Nini-zemi, on, regarding, small cicada, smile, smiling, with regards to). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | にっ"り (smile, smile sweetly), に"り (smile). (various references) | |
Korean | 웃음 (Giggle, GRINS, laugh, LAUGHTER). (various references) | |
Manx | scryssey (cancel, cancellation; growl, eliminate, elimination, erase, forage, pare down, rub out, scrap, scrape, scrape away, scraping, scratch, shave, sneer, strike out, wipe out, write off), scryss (growl, growler, ill-natured person, paring, peel, rind, scowl, scraping, shaving), gyrnal (grinning, growl, snarl, snarling), gyrn (growl, snarl), grangan (churl, crosspatch, cynic, peevish person), feeacklaghey (nab, to bare the teeth). (various references) | |
Norwegian | glise, smile bredt. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | ingray.(various references) | |
Portuguese | sorriso largo, sorrir ironicamente, arreganhar (bare). (various references) | |
Romanian | zâmbi (smile), zâmbet (simper, smile), surâs (simper, smile), rânji (simper, smirk, snarl, sneer), rânjet (simper, smirk, sneer). (various references) | |
Russian | усмехаться, усмешка (curl of the lips, ineptness, sneer), ухмыляться усмешка, скалить зубы, оскал. (various references) | |
Scottish | dréin (a grin: *dreg-ni-). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | keziti se, kez, ceriti se (leer), cerenje (leer). (various references) | |
Spanish | mueca (face, grimace, mop, mow). (various references) | |
Swedish | grina (cry, grizzle, screw up one's face, weep), grin (leer, whine), flina (giggle, smirk, sneer), flin (fleer, smirk, sneer). (various references) | |
Turkish | sırıtmak (grin at, grin like a cheshire cat, smirk), sırıtma (grinning, smirk), sırıtış. (various references) | |
Turkmen | gьlьmjiremek, syrtartmak (jeer), яyrюarmak (smile). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | скалитися, шкірити зуби, оскал зубів, посміхатися, посмішка. (various references) | |
Vietnamese | cái cười toe toét. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Luke Chapter 21, Verse 35 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | WV pagiV gar epeleusetai epi pantaV touV kaqhmenouV epi proswpon pashV thV ghV |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Tamquam laqueus enim superveniet in omnes qui sedent super faciem omnis terrae |
| Old English | 990 | West Saxon | Swa swa grin; He becymþ on ealle þa ðe sittað of er eorðan ansyne; |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | That sitten on the face of al erthe. |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | For as a snare shall it come on all them that sit on the face of the erthe. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | For so it will come on all those who are living on the face of all the earth. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Luke Chapter 21, Verse 35 |
| Cebuano | kay kini moabut man gayud unya sa tanang managpuyo ibabaw sa tibuok nga yuta. |
| Chinese | 為 那 日 子 要 這 樣 臨 到 全 地 上 一 切 居 住 的 人 。 |
| Croatian | jer æe kao zamka nadoæi na sve žitelje po svoj zemlji." |
| Danish | Thi komme skal den over alle dem, der bo på hele Jordens Flade. |
| Dutch | Want gelijk een strik zal hij komen over al degenen, die op den gansen aardbodem gezeten zijn. |
| Finnish | niinkuin paula; sillä se on saavuttava kaikki, jotka koko maan päällä asuvat. |
| French | car il viendra comme un filet sur tous ceux qui habitent sur la face de toute la terre. |
| German | denn wie ein Fallstrick wird er kommen über alle, die auf Erden wohnen. |
| Haitian Creole | Paske, jou sa a ap tonbe tankou yon privye sou tout moun ki rete sou latè. |
| Hungarian | Mert mintegy tõr, úgy lep meg mindeneket, a kik az egész föld színén lakoznak. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Sebab Hari itu akan datang seperti perangkap pada semua orang di muka bumi ini. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Karena demikianlah kelak datangnya ke atas sekalian orang yang diam di seluruh muka bumi. |
| Italian | come un laccio esso si abbatter sopra tutti coloro che abitano sulla faccia di tutta la terra. |
| Latvian | Jo kâ valgs tâ nâks pâr visiem, kas dzîvo virs zemes. |
| Maori | Ka puta hoki ki nga tangata katoa e noho ana i te mata o te whenua katoa. |
| Norwegian | for den skal komme over alle dem som bor over den hele jord. |
| Portuguese | Porque há de vir sobre todos os que habitam na face da terra. |
| Rumanian | Cqci ziua aceea va veni ca un lay peste toyi ceice locuiesc pe toatq faya pqmkntului. |
| Russian | Й'П ПО, ЛБЛ УЕФШ, ОБК"ЕФ ОБ ЧУЕИ ЦЙЧХЭЙИ П ЧУЕНХ МЙ"Х ЪЕНОПНХ; |
| Shuar | Nu tsawant aya aneachma jeattawai. Ashí aents ju nunkanam pujuinia nu, nuna Enentáimtsuk pujuiniai jeattawai. Tuma asamtai atumsha anearum wekasatarum. Yajauchiniam emetnarum, aya Yurumátniuk, aya umartiniak Enentáimtusrum, ju nunkanam ana nu ti wakerakrumninkia pénker Enentáimsatin tujinkiattarme. Nu Atsutí tusarum tura nu tsawant aya áwaktamkaij tusarum pénker wekasatarum. |
| Spanish | porque vendrá sobre todos los que habitan sobre la superficie de toda la tierra. |
| Swahili | Kwa maana itawajia kama mtego, wote wanaoishi duniani pote. |
| Swedish | ty såsom en snara skall den komma över hela jordens alla inbyggare. |
| Uma | Karata-ku mpai' mporumpa' hawe'ea tauna hi dunia' hewa tewo' mpowoko' wulehu'. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "grin": grinch, grinches, grind, grinded, grinder, grinderies, grinders, grindery, grinding, grindingly, grinds, grindstone, grindstones, gringo, gringos, grinned, grinner, grinners, grinning, grinningly, grins. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "grin": chagrin, outgrin, pellagrin, peregrin. (additional references) | |
Words containing "grin": angriness, angrinesses, chagrined, chagrining, chagrinned, chagrinning, chagrins, degringolade, degringolades, hungriness, hungrinesses, outgrinned, outgrinning, outgrins, pellagrins, peregrinate, peregrinated, peregrinates, peregrinating, peregrination, peregrinations, peregrine, peregrines, peregrins, regrind, regrinding, regrinds. (additional references) | |
| |
"Grin" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: agrin, frin, garan, garin, garini, garni, Gdi, Gerin, gerrin, gerwin, gfi, ghin, Ghrib, ghrin, ginc, gir, giran, girn, girny, giron, giyn, glin, goin, Gorini, Gorni, Gornik, gran, grana, granu, gren, Greno, grern, gri, grian, grib, gric, grie, grif, grig, Grigny, griin, grimn, grine, gring, grink, Grinky, Grint, griny, griu, griv, griw, griz, grln, grn, grnel, gron, gruj, grun, grunk, gtriii, guin, gurian, Gurtin, Gwin, gyrin, jirn, rgon, rin, Ugrin. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "grin" (pronounced gri"n) |
| 4 | g r i" n | chagrin. |
| 3 | -r i" n | Brin, herein, therein, wherein. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: girn, ring. | |
| Words within the letters "g-i-n-r" | |
-1 letter: gin, rig, rin. | |
-2 letters: in. | |
| Words containing the letters "g-i-n-r" | |
+1 letter: bring, garni, girns, giron, grain, grind, grins, groin, iring, reign, renig, rings, ruing, unrig, wring. | |
+2 letters: airing, arcing, arming, baring, binger, boring, brings, caring, cering, coring, cringe, crying, curing, daring, dinger, drying, during, earing, engird, engirt, eringo, erring, faring, finger, firing, fringe, fringy, frying, gainer, ginger, ginner, girned, girons, goring, gradin, grains, grainy, gratin, grinch, grinds, gringo, grison, groins, gyring, haring, hinger, hiring, ignore, irking, linger, luring, margin, miring, muring, nigher, oaring, onagri, orbing, origan, origin, paring, pinger, poring, prying, racing, raging, raking, raping, raring, rasing, rating, raving, raxing, raying, razing, reagin, reding, regain, regina, region, reigns, renigs, resign, ricing, riding, riling, riming, ringed, ringer, riping, rising, riving, robing, roping, rosing, roving, rowing, ruling, ryking, sering, signer, signor, singer, siring, soring, spring, string, taring, tiring, trigon, truing, trying, tyring, ungird, ungirt, unrigs, urging, virgin, waring, winger, wiring, wrings, wrying, zinger. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Quotations: Familiar | 9. Quotations: Fiction 10. Quotations: Non-fiction 11. Usage Frequency 12. Expressions | 13. Expressions: Internet 14. Translations: Modern 15. Bible Trace 16. Abbreviations | 17. Acronyms 18. Derivations 19. Rhymes 20. Anagrams | 21. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
