What does grimace mean?
Word: Grimace
Part of Speech: Noun, verb
Meaning: Grimace means a twisted, ugly face that someone makes because of pain, disgust or dislike. As a verb, it means to make such a face.
Synonyms: scowl, frown
Antonyms: smile, grin
How do you spell grimace?
Syllables: gri - mace
Tricky part: Some people stress the start and some the end, but either way the word finishes in -ace, so grimice and grimase are common slips.
Watch out for: grimice, grimase
Memory tip: The ace is the top card in a pack: a player dealt a poor hand pulls a grimace, and the word ends with that ace.
Grimace in a sentence
Example 1: Rohan made a grimace when he tasted the karela juice that Nani swears by.
Example 2: The goalkeeper grimaced as he got up from the muddy pitch.
Example 3: Without a word, Grandma showed her opinion of my loud music with a grimace.
Fun Fact
Grimace came into English from French in the 1600s; the French word probably comes from an old Germanic word meaning mask.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
Meera gave a grimmace as she pulled on her muddy football boots, still cold and wet from yesterday's match.
a) an expression that shows strong dislike
b) covered in wet, sticky soil
c) strong shoes that cover the ankle
d) a game played between two teams
Show answer
a) an expression that shows strong dislike. Grimmace has one m too many; a grimace is a pulled face that shows dislike or pain.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
ceriagm 1234567
a) 1346572
b) 6347512
c) 6347152
d) 2347516
Show answer
b) 6347512. After 6347, the a (letter 5) must come before the c (letter 1), so 6347512 is right and 6347152 is not.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
A twisted expression on the face that shows pain or disgust is called a ___.
a) grimace
b) glance
c) grumble
d) gesture
Show answer
a) grimace. A gesture is a movement of the hands or head, a glance is a quick look and a grumble is a low complaint.
Spellacadabra
Which word takes the same letter in both blanks?
a) b__lc__ny
b) l__qu__d
c) m__ch__ne
d) gr__m__ce
Show answer
b) l__qu__d. Liquid takes i twice; grimace, balcony and machine each need two different letters.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these would most likely make you grimace?
a) meeting an old friend in the park
b) opening a birthday present
c) hearing your favourite song
d) biting into a very sour lemon
Show answer
d) biting into a very sour lemon
2. If a medicine makes your little brother grimace, it probably tastes ____.
a) sweet
b) fresh
c) bitter
d) mild
Show answer
c) bitter
