smile

verb \ ˈsmī(-ə)l \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Examples: smile in a Sentence

Definition of smile

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 folly
—Martin Gardner

b : to bestow approval

feeling that Heaven smiled on his labors
—Sheila Rowlands

c : to appear pleasant or agreeable

transitive verb

1 : to affect with or by smiling

2 : to express by a smile

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smiler

noun

—

smilingly

play \ˈsmī-liŋ-lē\ adverb

See smile defined for English-language learners

See smile defined for kids

Examples of smile in a Sentence

The photographer asked us to smile for the camera.
She smiled when she saw him.
Both parents smiled their approval.

Recent Examples of smile from the Web

Grande wrote on her Instagram Stories in late June, labeling a picture of her iPhone’s lock screen at 11:11 p.m. — which showed a smiling Davidson.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Pete Davidson Praises Ariana Grande's Topless Photo as Her Ex Mac Miller Raps About Lost Love," 13 July 2018
To be sure, monster festivals always attract local families with smiling children.

— joseph p. laycock, Smithsonian, "A Search for Mysteries and Monsters in Small Town America," 11 July 2018
Ellis has a switch that takes him from smiling nice guy to glowering gamer with an intensity that causes teammates to tease him about it — and also steer clear at times.

— kevin acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, "A.J. Ellis shows what it takes for Padres," 7 July 2018
The precious, ever-smiling alien hangs out at the top of hundreds of subreddits, mixing with the locals like a savvy politician.

— arielle pardes, WIRED, "The Transformative Power of Reddit's Alien Mascot," 6 July 2018
Buffy, the smiling Samoyed, wandered in at seemingly regular intervals.

— thomas swick, Longreads, "Letters from Trenton," 5 July 2018
In that sense, the vaguely rosy Los Angeles of the film, where even the noir shadows are cast by a smiling cartoon sun, becomes a weird nostalgia trip for the filmmakers — a city that almost was.

— todd vanderwerff, Vox, "Chinatown, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and L.A. Confidential explore the shady deals that built the sprawling megalopolis.," 22 June 2018
Beige walls bear colorful photos and illustrations of two smiling young men and of Mexican folk art.

— rené a. guzman, San Antonio Express-News, "San Antonio’s paranormal power couple live with the haunted and cursed," 22 May 2018
On the stage, the virtuoso smiled and bowed, for the old man in the balcony was his tutor.

— loren a. yadon, idahostatesman, "Leaving the ‘stage of life’ to the applause of heaven," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'smile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of smile

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).

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

smile Synonyms

Synonyms

laugh, sneer, snicker, snigger;

Related Words

sniff, snort;

catcall, deride, gibe (or jibe), hoot, insult, jeer, mock, ridicule;

decry, despise, disdain;

scoff (at), scorn;

bad-mouth, belittle, disparage, pooh-pooh (also pooh), put down;

heckle, jive, razz, rib, ride, taunt, tease, torment;

smile

noun

Definition of smile

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

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smileless

play \ˈsmī(-ə)l-ləs\ adjective

See smile defined for English-language learners

Examples of smile in a Sentence

He greeted me with a big smile.

Recent Examples of smile from the Web

That's all good news for Nickelberry, who watched his teammates' interviews with a smile.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville pledge Josh Nickelberry recruiting teammates for Cards," 13 July 2018
The world’s greatest Cantonese chef then bums a cigarette from chef Leung, twists his colleague’s ear with a smile, and heads out on to the crowded Kowloon streets, unnoticed and unremarked.

— casey quackenbush / hong kong, Time, "'We're Not Educated.' The Untold Story of Lung King Heen, the World's First Michelin Three-Star Chinese Restaurant," 12 July 2018
Head over to South Coast Plaza, where a full-time, in-store artist will now paint it for you with a smile — and for free.

— candice baker yacono, latimes.com, "Louis Vuitton South Coast Plaza reopens with store-exclusive merchandise," 12 July 2018
His vacant half smile didn’t seem as charming today.

— andrew liptak, The Verge, "A transgender girl rises up against alien invaders in Rich Larson’s novel Annex," 8 July 2018
Character, like elegance and smiles, fell from Pat’s sleeve.

— david netto, Town & Country, "Remembering Texan Hostess Pat Breen," 6 July 2018
Thurmond greeted her with a smile, leading two of her boys to a beanbag toss in the center of the basketball court.

— ben austen, The New Republic, "How one American city chose to tackle crime, combat racism, and reckon with the legacy of police brutality," 21 June 2018
Meet the people who’ve turned Lightning in a Bottle and other fests into a career Alexandra Lovinit greets every customer at Mark’s Bar with a smile.

— andy hermann, Los Angeles Magazine, "“Transformational” Music Festivals Are Becoming a Year-Round Lifestyle," 31 May 2018
After two months of high-calorie formula, J.D., underweight at birth, grew rounder and started to flash a charming smile.

— melody warnick, Woman's Day, "After Retiring, This Couple Took in a Newborn Who Was Exposed to Opioids," 30 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of smile

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

SMILE Defined for English Language Learners

smile

verb

Definition of smile for English Language Learners

: to make a smile : to make the corners of your mouth turn up in an expression that shows happiness, amusement, pleasure, affection, etc.
: to show or express (something, such as approval, encouragement, etc.) by a smile
: to say (something) with a smile