Word.ws English Dictionary

grin like a Cheshire cat

grin like a Cheshire cat verb: to smile broadly, especially in a self-satisfied way.

Verb

grin like a Cheshire cat (third-person singular simple present grins like a Cheshire cat, present participle grinning like a Cheshire cat, simple past and past participle grinned like a Cheshire cat)

  1. (simile) To smile broadly, especially in a self-satisfied way.
    • John ended the set with a beautiful serve, an ace, and could not help grinning like a Cheshire cat.
    • CHESHIRE CAT. He grins like a Cheshire cat; said of any one who shows his teeth and gums in laughing.1788, Francis Grose, A classical dictionary of the vulgar tongue, 2nd corrected and enlarged edition, London

Synonyms of grin like a Cheshire cat

Forms of grin like a Cheshire cat

third-person singular presentgrins like a Cheshire cat
present participlegrinning like a Cheshire cat
past participlegrinned like a Cheshire cat
pastgrinned like a Cheshire cat

Origin of grin like a Cheshire cat

Attested since at least the 1780s. The reason why Cheshire was combined with cat is disputed: see here for more information.

Questions about grin like a Cheshire cat

What does grin like a Cheshire cat mean?
Grin like a Cheshire cat means to smile broadly, especially in a self-satisfied way.
What part of speech is grin like a Cheshire cat?
Grin like a Cheshire cat is a verb.
What is the past tense of grin like a Cheshire cat?
The past tense of grin like a Cheshire cat is grinned like a Cheshire cat.

Words near grin like a Cheshire cat in the dictionary

  1. Grimwoods
  2. grimy
  3. grin
  4. grin and bear it
  5. grin from ear to ear
  6. grin like a Cheshire cat
  7. grin like a mule eating briars
  8. Grinage
  9. Grinages
  10. grinagog
  11. grinagogs

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: grin like a Cheshire cat (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-grin like a Cheshire cat.ogg.

Cite this entry: “grin like a Cheshire cat.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/grin_like_a_cheshire_cat. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.