Part of Speech: Noun

Definition: A facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval or pain

Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Found in Line 4-6 of “All – American Girl” by Julia Alvarez: ” I’d come from somewhere else. I locked myself / in the bathroom, trying to match my face / with words in my new language: grimace, leer / ”

The definition of the word grimace helped me understand what was being in said in lines 4-6. I believe that the speaker tried to paint this image of herself so that way she could fit into society and yet, she felt disgusted in trying to change who she was.