grimace
/ɡʁi.mas/feminine
The English phrase "grimace" is translated into French as grimace.
The noun grimace refers to a distortion of the face. In French, you can express the action of making faces using the verb grimacer or the more common phrase faire des grimaces. Common specific uses include grimacer de douleur to mean to grimace in pain, and grimacer de dégoût to mean to grimace in disgust.
Meaning: a distortion of the face (noun)
Which one should you use?
While grimacer is a direct verb meaning to grimace, the colloquial phrase faire des grimaces is the more common way to express the act of making faces.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun grimace is feminine. For example, you would say une grimace to mean "a grimace".
How do you pronounce it?
The word grimace has 2 syllables and is pronounced /ɡʁi.mas/.
Did you know?
- The word originally referred to a physical 'mask' or 'helmet' rather than just a facial movement. This connection is preserved in the linguistic relationship between the French grimace and the Old Frankish word for a mask.
- In French, the expression faire des grimaces is often used to describe children playing or acting silly, rather than just expressing pain or disgust.
Examples in context
- La mère a grimacé en mangeant les épinards.The mother grimaced while eating the spinach.
- Il a fait une grimace amusante en voyant son cadeau.He made a funny grimace when he saw his gift.
- Elle a fait une grimace en goûtant le citron.She made a grimace when tasting the lemon.
- Son visage s'est figé dans une grimace de douleur.His face froze in a grimace of pain.
- Il ne faut pas faire de grimace pour la photo.You shouldn't make a grimace for the photo.
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are looking at a funny photo of a child.
- ChloéRegarde la grimace de cet enfant sur la photo !Look at this child's grimace in the photo!
- HugoOui, il a l'air d'avoir mangé quelque chose de mauvais.Yes, he looks like he ate something bad.
- ChloéSa grimace est vraiment hilarante.His grimace is really hilarious.
- HugoC'est vrai, c'est une expression très drôle.It's true, it's a very funny expression.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grimace” translations and entries grimace, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries grimace, CC BY-SA 4.0.
