smile

1 of 2

verb

smiled; smiling

intransitive verb

1
: to have, produce, or exhibit a smile
2
a
: to look or regard with amusement or ridicule
smiled at his own follyMartin Gardner
b
: to bestow approval
feeling that Heaven smiled on his laborsSheila Rowlands
c
: to appear pleasant or agreeable

transitive verb

1
: to affect with or by smiling
2
: to express by a smile
smiler noun
smilingly adverb

smile

2 of 2

noun

1
: a facial expression in which the eyes brighten and the corners of the mouth curve slightly upward and which expresses especially amusement, pleasure, approval, or sometimes scorn
2
: a pleasant or encouraging appearance
smileless adjective

Examples of smile in a Sentence

Verb The photographer asked us to smile for the camera. She smiled when she saw him. Both parents smiled their approval. Noun He greeted me with a big smile.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Cillian Murphy was joined by his wife, Yvonne McGuinness, and teenage sons, Malachy and Aran, who greeted well-wishers and looked on smiling as their dad’s inscription was etched. Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024 With her shiny new statuette in hand at the Governors Ball — the award show's official afterparty — Stone, 35, smiled for the camera while McCary, 38, planted a kiss on his wife's cheek. Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 The image, also shared to the royal couple’s Instagram account, depicts Middleton seated, smiling, and surrounded by her three children. Brian Barrett, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024 The filmmaker, who was nominated for Best Director for Killers but lost to Christopher Nolan, repeatedly smiled to the camera and cackled to himself during Gosling's buzzy rendition of the song. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024 In the photo, Middleton smiles wide in a pair of skinny jeans, a black sweater, and a gray jacket. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 10 Mar. 2024 Falling unceremoniously, smacking the court again – but with a smile, because there was nothing left but to smile. Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 9 Mar. 2024 Around 9 months, infants begin to smile and laugh at games like peek-a-boo. Maya Polton, Parents, 8 Mar. 2024 At first glance, images circulating online showing former President Donald Trump surrounded by groups of Black people smiling and laughing seem nothing out of the ordinary, but a look closer is telling. Matt Brown, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
The flashbacks are rendered as a dreamy, nostalgic trip — an abstract melange of green foliage, flashes of calming smiles and the pages of a picture book being turned. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 Blowing a kiss in the first snap, the following picture featured the star holding her baby bump while flashing a beaming smile. Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Falling unceremoniously, smacking the court again – but with a smile, because there was nothing left but to smile. Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 9 Mar. 2024 There was an earthiness, a sadness stirring up memories and questions — what was behind his generous outlook, his perpetually warm smile? Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 From first smiles to first steps, infants meet myriad developmental milestones at a rapid pace between birth and their first birthday. Maya Polton, Parents, 8 Mar. 2024 Baker had an easy wide smile with a gap between his front teeth. Greg Fisher, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024 His family told The Jamestown Sun the 24-year-old man was a father with a smile that lit up the room. Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2024 Biden flashed a smile, according to two of the governors standing there. Jacqui Heinrich, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English smilen, going back to a Germanic verbal base *smil-, *smīl- (from earlier *smei̯l-) "smile," probably an extension with -l- of Indo-European *smei̯- "laugh, smile," whence Old Church Slavic smějǫ sę, smijati sę "to laugh," Latvian smeju, smiêt "to laugh, mock," Tocharian B smi- "smile," Sanskrit smáyate "(s/he) smiles," and with a -d- extension in Greek meidiáein "to smile," philomeidḗs "with a friendly smile," Latvian smaida "smile," smaidît "to smile, mock"

Note: The comparative set for this Germanic etymon do not show clear descent from a single form, perhaps due to its affective character. There is no attested Old English ancestor of Middle English smilen; a Scandinavian source has been suggested, but Danish smile "to smile" and Swedish smila, not attested before the 17th century, could be loans from an unattested Middle Low German verb. Old High German has smilenter (glossing Latin subridens "smiling"), with presumed long vowel, continued by Middle High German smielen. Kiliaen's 1599 Dutch dictionary enters smuylen "subridere," apparently with a different vocalism. Parallel to these are a group of forms with -r- rather than -l-: Old English smerian "to laugh, scorn," Old High German smierēn, smierōn (with e2?) "to smile," Old English bismerian and Old High German bismerōn "to mock, insult," and, with different vocalism, Old English smǣr, smǣre "lip(s)," gālsmǣre "inclined to laugh, frivolous." The forms with -r- have been compared with Sanskrit (Vedic) á-smera- "not bashful, confiding," and particularly with Latin mīrus "remarkable, amazing," presumed to be derivative of a neuter *mīrum, going back to a noun *smei̯-ro- "laughter, smiling," (though a semantic shift from "laughter" to "astonishment" is questionable).

Noun

Middle English smyle, derivative of smilen "to smile entry 1"

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of smile was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near smile

Cite this Entry

“Smile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smile. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

smile

1 of 2 verb
smiled; smiling
1
: to have, produce, or exhibit a smile
2
a
: to look with amusement or ridicule
b
: to be fortunate or agreeable
the weather smiled on our plans
3
: to express by a smile
both parents smiled their approval
smiler noun
smilingly adverb

smile

2 of 2 noun
: a change of facial expression in which the eyes brighten and the corners of the mouth curve slightly upward especially in expression of amusement, pleasure, approval, or sometimes scorn

More from Merriam-Webster on smile

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