as in intelligence
the ability to learn and understand or to deal with problems
she had the smarts to start college at age 16, but perhaps not the emotional maturity
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smarts
Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
His strength and smarts remain elite, but his decline at 38 is increasingly evident.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
Those guys have physicality, nastiness, speed, smarts.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2026
Your blood sweat tears brilliant smarts heart and soul in every single frame.
—Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Book smarts and tech skills like using AI aren’t enough by themselves; human skills are essential to apply all that knowledge in the professional environment.
—Mark C. Perna, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Who wouldn’t be happy, living life with so much talent or smarts?
—Isabel Fattal, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2026
Jimmy Butler used his smarts and muscle to carve out space for tricky shots and deft passes.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
Doan uses his smarts, high energy and heavy frame to dominate puck battles, control the boards and break up plays in all three zones.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
Noun
Yet such smarts are not evident among all the teams in the NBA, and certainly not among all the teams in MLB.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
His strength and smarts remain elite, but his decline at 38 is increasingly evident.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
Those guys have physicality, nastiness, speed, smarts.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2026
Your blood sweat tears brilliant smarts heart and soul in every single frame.
—Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Book smarts and tech skills like using AI aren’t enough by themselves; human skills are essential to apply all that knowledge in the professional environment.
—Mark C. Perna, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Who wouldn’t be happy, living life with so much talent or smarts?
—Isabel Fattal, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2026
Jimmy Butler used his smarts and muscle to carve out space for tricky shots and deft passes.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
Doan uses his smarts, high energy and heavy frame to dominate puck battles, control the boards and break up plays in all three zones.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
It’s been 10 years since Fantastic Four flopped, but its box-office failure still smarts for star Miles Teller.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smarts
Noun
-
An array of former intelligence and law enforcement officials have received subpoenas in the investigation.—
Eric Tucker,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
-
About 13 million barrels per day of crude oil transited the Strait of Hormuz in 2025, accounting for roughly 31% of global seaborne crude flows, data provided by market intelligence firm Kpler showed.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This loss is unexpected and surreal, and my heart aches… for his family, for his wife, for his children, for his friends, and for all of us who were blessed to know him.—
Christine Imarenezor,
VIBE.com,
15 Jan. 2026
-
This loss is unexpected and surreal and my heart aches… for his family, for his wife, for his children, for his friends, and for all of us who were blessed to know him.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Duncan will recur as Mimir, a cheery fellow from Celtic lands with an expansive intellect, a quick wit and a good head on his shoulders.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
-
What came to him naturally was his intellect.—
Kevin Kruse,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That case also crashed and burned in court and has been seen by critics as another example of an unnecessary prosecution that hurts the DOJ’s accountability image.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Feb. 2026
-
That is a failure of leadership that hurts everyone.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Staying here gives you a genuine sense of the city.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Kamaru’s album, unlike more conventionally soothing strains of ambient music, reflected that thrumming sense of disquiet.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But regret pains them like a knot in their shoulders.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smarts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smarts. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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