smile

verb \ ˈsmī(-ə)l \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

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

—

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

The symbols of motherhood in American political life have long been comforting and predictable: a gauzy family tableau in campaign ads, with smiling kids gathering for a meal.

— susan chira, New York Times, "Mom Is Running for Office," 14 Apr. 2018
The smiling cartoon alligator logo has been a silly source of controversy.

— chuck blount, San Antonio Express-News, "52 Weeks of BBQ: Choke Canyon Bar-B Que," 13 Apr. 2018
Talented, gentle, kind and always smiling Ki was not only a visual artist, but a performance artist as well.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Parolee arrested in November killing of Philly art student," 13 Apr. 2018
In the front lobby, a memorial to Gannon stood that included a large photo of the smiling officer kneeling with his canine partner, Nero.

— emily sweeney, BostonGlobe.com, "Slain officer remembered for his sacrifice and service," 13 Apr. 2018
Aldean didn't post any photos of his meeting with Calzadillas on his own social media, but Barrow Neurological published a single picture of the smiling artist on its accounts.

— jessica boehm, azcentral, "Las Vegas shooting survivors came to Country Thunder for Jason Aldean, but did he deliver?," 7 Apr. 2018
But nearby, a smiling Mercy Njoroge walks briskly by on her own more efficient transport system: her feet.

— kagondu njagi, The Christian Science Monitor, "More people choosing to walk, instead of drive, in congested Nairobi," 6 Apr. 2018
Within hours of learning about the police shooting death of Clark, Maryland artist Demont Pinder used his tablet computer to create a stylized image of a smiling Clark.

— ed fletcher, sacbee, "Stephon Clark shooting launches songs and paintings. ‘Something I had to do,’ artist says | The Sacramento Bee," 6 Apr. 2018
In the center is a smiling head from Thailand from the Dvaravati period.

— thomas gebremedhin, WSJ, "Axel Vervoordt’s Favorite Things," 27 Mar. 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

—

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

Who knows what will happen when the actual season begins, but everybody left the spring game with a smile.

— mike bianchi, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Dan Mullen turns Gators spring game into fun-filled spring fling," 15 Apr. 2018
The actress was all smiles, minding her own business in one of the pictures where Thompson appeared to bring a woman back to his hotel, reportedly in New York City last weekend.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Gabrielle Union Was in the Background of Tristan Thompson's Alleged Cheating Footage and Her Response Was Epic," 13 Apr. 2018
Dwayne Johnson, Hollywood’s go-to leading man for flashing a winning smile or slapping a concerned frown on a ridiculous action scenario, stars as Davis Okoye, the primatologist at a San Diego wildlife sanctuary.

— tasha robinson, The Verge, "Rampage is laughably dumb, but at least there’s plenty of rampaging," 11 Apr. 2018
Saif was one of those guys that was happy to put on his pads every day at practice and did it with a smile.

— brent kennedy, Howard County Times, "Former Howard High football standout Saif Bryant killed in Ellicott City car crash," 9 Apr. 2018
But no matter the outcome, prior to tipoff, thousands of those fans were all smiles and enjoyed food and festivities in Tailgate Plaza.

— cody mccrary staff writer, San Antonio Express-News, "Ticket prices decrease as championship game approaches," 1 Apr. 2018
Somewhere south of 20 grand there's a sweet spot of cheap miles and wide smiles.

— Car and Driver, "Comparison Tests," 30 Mar. 2018
Dropbox co-founders Arash Ferdowsi of Overland Park (left) and Drew Houston were all smiles outside the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York's Times Square during their company's debut on the stock market Friday, March 23.

— eric adler, kansascity, "Blue Valley Northwest grad is a billionaire, thanks to the tech company he founded | The Kansas City Star," 28 Mar. 2018
The expecting royal was all smiles during the symposium too.

— sara m moniuszko, USA TODAY, "Duchess Kate greets spring in mint-green coat dress by Jenny Packham," 21 Mar. 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