1
as in to grin
to express an emotion (as amusement) by curving the lips upward
the soldier smiled in pleasure when he saw the giant sign welcoming him home
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to laugh
to express scornful amusement by means of facial contortions
smiled at their ridiculous antics and walked away in disgust
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smile
Alex Shoemaker, Parents, 6 June 2026
Gazing at the flag in front of her, Doss smiled.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 6 June 2026
Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026
Now, a gentle giant with an easy smile and big laugh has created generational wealth for his family.
—Mike Defabo, New York Times, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for smile
Verb
Saturday Morning Staples These were some of the tried-and-true go-to shows that made a generation of kids smile on a weekend morning.
—Alex Shoemaker, Parents, 6 June 2026
Gazing at the flag in front of her, Doss smiled.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 6 June 2026
Noun
Infantino looked on, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
—Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026
Now, a gentle giant with an easy smile and big laugh has created generational wealth for his family.
—Mike Defabo, New York Times, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for smile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smile
Verb
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Paul Anthony Kelly grins from ear to ear on a sunny day in New York City on May 26.—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
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Ball Arena went quiet, and Coghlan turned to look at his teammate, Shea Theodore, who was grinning from ear to ear.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
First and foremost, as was first reported by Shanghai Daily, the child was not seriously injured, so if your first instinct was to fear retribution for laughing at the visual of a humanoid robot doing a Rex-Kwan-Do routine in a clown wig and rocking some little kid in the chest, then worry not.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
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Families and groups of friends gather around the chic outdoor patio furniture, laughing and telling stories.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
An elderly man offered a smirk for his mugshot after being arrested in a caught-on-camera hit-and-run involving a cyclist group.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
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The prospect of doing it again with even larger stakes brought an excited smirk to Smart’s face.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smile. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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