smile

verb \ ˈsmī(-ə)l \

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

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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

As a conglomerate of evil villains, The Hand boasts Sigourney Weaver as the loathsome Alexandra, Wai Ching Ho as Gao with the bone-chilling grin, and Yutaka Takeuchi as Murakami, who also smiles maniacally a lot.

— josephine livingstone, New Republic, "The Defenders Could Be a Good Show, if it Weren’t for its Awful Main Character," 29 Aug. 2017
Lots of smiling people were enjoying a lovely summer evening while participating in the many activities of August's Arts on Main.

— kitty leshay, Courant Community, "Arts On Main: An Evening Of Fun," 23 Aug. 2017
Resolve now to BITE YOUR TONGUE, smile a Mona Lisa smile, and never form the sound of his name with your mouth again.

— heather havrilesky, The Cut, "‘I’m Obsessed With the Co-worker I Hooked Up With!’," 23 Aug. 2017
How did my life get good enough that Jerry Lewis would smile at me?

— arlene washington, The Hollywood Reporter, "Hollywood Reacts to Jerry Lewis' Death," 20 Aug. 2017
Papas smiles and clucks her tongue at the crazy sight.

— lynn ischay, cleveland.com, "Happy Campers from St. Augustine assisted living find the woods are good medicine (photos)," 20 Aug. 2017
Same goes for 12-year-old Cruz, however, the most enthusiastic Beckham kid appears to be their youngest, 6-year-old Harper, who smiles like, well, a kid in an ice cream museum.

— elizabeth logan, Teen Vogue, "Brooklyn Beckham and His Family Visit Museum of Ice Cream," 17 Aug. 2017
Asked whether the museum had since tried to sort them out, the director, Nguyen Anh Minh, only smiled.

— richard c. paddock, New York Times, "Vietnamese Art Has Never Been More Popular. But the Market Is Full of Fakes.," 11 Aug. 2017
The calm and smiling faces around you and the gate agent’s patient demeanor are just grating on your nerves.

— sidra monreal, CNT, "The Worst Airline Passengers, According to a Former Gate Agent," 31 July 2017

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; akin to Old English smerian to laugh, Sanskrit smayate he smiles

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

smile Synonyms

Synonyms

beam, grin

Related Words

laugh, simper; smirk, sneer

Near Antonyms

grimace; frown, glare, gloom, glower, lower (also lour), scowl; pout, sulk

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

In the Squires' kitchen in the East End, a framed photo shows Johnny with a wide smile next to his two younger sisters, Victoria and Alexandra.

— beth warren, The Courier-Journal, "The mother of a Louisville overdose victim fights the 'heroin wars' in her own way," 29 Aug. 2017
For Cincinnati’s Gilberry, the week was spent with a smile.

— jim owczarski, Cincinnati.com, "Bengals' Gilberry lives out dream moment in Washington," 28 Aug. 2017
With a smile, Bridges and Deputy Fire Marshall Todd Zupec wished students a good day at the elementary school.

— yadira sanchez olson, Lake County News-Sun, "Waukegan District 60 students get special welcome back to school," 24 Aug. 2017
Endless repetition, tear-inducing critiques from coaches, smile practice, and psychological counseling are plot points in an 11-week reality TV show documenting the creation of a teeny-bopper singing group.

— sohee kim, Bloomberg.com, "The $4.7 Billion K-Pop Industry Chases Its ‘Michael Jackson Moment’," 22 Aug. 2017
There are a few smiles being exchanged back and forth.

— scott meslow, GQ, "Game of Thrones," 16 Aug. 2017
The app originally had filters that added smiles, changed your age or gender and ‘

— veronica hilbring, Essence.com, "New FaceApp Filters Removed After Backlash," 11 Aug. 2017
The model-cum-actress looked stylish as ever in a plaid suit with leather boots, while Besson occasionally cracked what appeared to be a genuine smile.

— erika harwood, Vanities, "The Cast of Box-Office Bomb Valerian Is Still Bravely Finishing Out Their Press Tour," 24 July 2017
Being kind is more than a smile on the street or donating to charitable causes.

— kristen bell, Cosmopolitan, "Kristen Bell Thinks Being Nice Is Overrated," 23 July 2017

First Known Use of smile

15th century

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