as in scowled
to distort one's face
playgoers grimaced at the actor's terrible attempt at a French accent
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Recent Examples of grimaced
As the others grinned and grimaced at their rivals’ responses, Becerra was as stone-faced as Buster Keaton.
—
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Wang grimaced, eying his neighbor’s yard.
—Gabriel Debenedetti, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Ohtani let out a howl and grimaced before going to first base.
—CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Towns was downgraded to questionable Friday morning, shot around ahead of tipoff against Chicago, then grimaced and grabbed at his arm before leaving the floor and being ruled out for the night with a right elbow impingement.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
Williams knocked knees late in the fourth quarter against Houston and immediately grimaced, but didn’t show any effects after posting 20 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 21 Feb. 2026
Castle grimaced in pain for about a minute after the Rockets' Josh Okogie inadvertently banged into the 2024 Rookie of the Year's already sore left thumb midway through the third quarter of the 111-106 loss at Houston.
—Tom Orsborn, San Antonio Express-News, 21 Jan. 2026
Nix grimaced and walked off the field.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 18 Jan. 2026
Stokes grimaced, bit his collar and headed straight for the dressing room, unable to complete his over.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Wang grimaced, eying his neighbor’s yard.
—Gabriel Debenedetti, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Ohtani let out a howl and grimaced before going to first base.
—CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Towns was downgraded to questionable Friday morning, shot around ahead of tipoff against Chicago, then grimaced and grabbed at his arm before leaving the floor and being ruled out for the night with a right elbow impingement.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
Williams knocked knees late in the fourth quarter against Houston and immediately grimaced, but didn’t show any effects after posting 20 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 21 Feb. 2026
Castle grimaced in pain for about a minute after the Rockets' Josh Okogie inadvertently banged into the 2024 Rookie of the Year's already sore left thumb midway through the third quarter of the 111-106 loss at Houston.
—Tom Orsborn, San Antonio Express-News, 21 Jan. 2026
Nix grimaced and walked off the field.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 18 Jan. 2026
Stokes grimaced, bit his collar and headed straight for the dressing room, unable to complete his over.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grimaced
Verb
-
Those that attended mostly sat and scowled.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Another line of attack likens the show to when bachelorette parties invade gay bars — a practice frequently scowled upon by gay patrons.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Levin has not denied paying for story tips, which is frowned upon by traditional journalism outlets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Mother frowned, then perked up.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For a few seconds, everyone at Progressive Field — players, umpires, fans, cotton candy vendors — stared at the video board, awaiting the handy diagram that would determine whether the Cleveland Guardians’ lead was in jeopardy.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Chasing Horse, wearing his navy blue Clark County Detention Center uniform, stared straight ahead as victims read their statements.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When told that Hyland modeled his game after the famed streetballer Hot Sauce from the And-1 Mixtape Tour, Finch smirked.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
-
With this, Friedmann smirked at Hall and gave a quick wave of the hand.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Texas and Florida were COVID-19 wildfires, where the rates of infection soared due to the irresponsible actions of their respective governors who allowed businesses to remain open, all but sneered at immunization and encouraged people to gather maskless at public venues.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The universities have sneered at the people who are feeding them.—
Richard K. Vedder,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As Soler began walking toward the mound, López held up his hands as the two glared at each other before both started throwing punches.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
As Soler began walking toward the mound, López held up his hands and the two glared at each other before both started throwing punches.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grimaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimaced. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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