| / English Dictionary |
GRINNING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
Synonyms:
grin; grinning; smile; smiling
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("grinning" is a kind of...):
facial expression; facial gesture (a gesture executed with the facial muscles)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "grinning"):
simper (a silly self-conscious smile)
smirk (a smile expressing smugness or scorn instead of pleasure)
Derivation:
grin (to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb grin
Context examples:
The leader of the Winged Monkeys flew up to her, his long, hairy arms stretched out and his ugly face grinning terribly; but he saw the mark of the Good Witch's kiss upon her forehead and stopped short, motioning the others not to touch her.
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
He sprang up and threw his arms round Alleyne's neck, while John, no less pleased, but more backward and Saxon in his habits, stood grinning and bobbing by the wayside, with his newly won steel cap stuck wrong side foremost upon his tangle of red hair.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
After some time spent in peeping, grinning, and chattering, he at last espied me; and reaching one of his paws in at the door, as a cat does when she plays with a mouse, although I often shifted place to avoid him, he at length seized the lappet of my coat (which being made of that country silk, was very thick and strong), and dragged me out.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
While we made our way along it we heard the rattle of a carriage coming towards us and stood aside to let it pass. As it drove by us I caught a glimpse through the closed window of a horribly contorted, grinning face glaring out at us.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Now, as he pushed his way through the looser fringe the head was raised, and there was the grinning, hardy face of the smith looking up at us.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
I thought I had never seen Ham grin to anything like the extent to which he sat grinning at us now.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
I left Mr. Mugridge on deck, in the hands of a couple of grinning sailors who had been told off for the purpose.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
At one end of the corridor we were all marshalled by Sherlock Holmes, the constables grinning and Lestrade staring at my friend with amazement, expectation, and derision chasing each other across his features.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
He had turned his back so that none could see him but I. His form had filled out, his wrinkles were gone, the dull eyes had regained their fire, and there, sitting by the fire and grinning at my surprise, was none other than Sherlock Holmes.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
How good it was when we were hailed by the voice of Zambo, and, going to the edge of the plateau, saw him sitting grinning at us upon the top of the opposite pinnacle.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
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