1
as in grins
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 laughs
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 smiles
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Fortune smiles upon you as Mercury and Jupiter harmonize.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
Kiefer Sherwood #44 of the San Jose Sharks smiles between plays in the first period against the Calgary Flames at SAP Center on February 26, 2026 in San Jose.
—CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Each position group or side of the ball took turns peeling off from the crowd for a still shot with the Lombardi Trophy and their closest teammates, with cigars in their mouths, goggles on their heads and smiles on their faces.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
Even the laughs and smiles that Joe and Kate Keller issue are fleeting, a respite from the journey toward a more crushing reality.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
To demonstrate, Ejae smiles to form creases below her eyes, then dusts some brown powder onto the area.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
Poles apart in character, Michaela proposes a joyful celebration of life for John, where Francesca finally smiles and thanks her for her support.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Its name comes from the fact that it can only be seen when a person smiles — something Alysa Liu did plenty of the past two weeks.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
Fortune rarely smiles twice on the same backside.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Fortune smiles upon you as Mercury and Jupiter harmonize.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
Kiefer Sherwood #44 of the San Jose Sharks smiles between plays in the first period against the Calgary Flames at SAP Center on February 26, 2026 in San Jose.
—CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Each position group or side of the ball took turns peeling off from the crowd for a still shot with the Lombardi Trophy and their closest teammates, with cigars in their mouths, goggles on their heads and smiles on their faces.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
Even the laughs and smiles that Joe and Kate Keller issue are fleeting, a respite from the journey toward a more crushing reality.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
To demonstrate, Ejae smiles to form creases below her eyes, then dusts some brown powder onto the area.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
Poles apart in character, Michaela proposes a joyful celebration of life for John, where Francesca finally smiles and thanks her for her support.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Its name comes from the fact that it can only be seen when a person smiles — something Alysa Liu did plenty of the past two weeks.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smiles
Verb
-
The suspect in a stabbing in Edinburgh, Scotland, grins out a window before his arrest, March 2, 2026.—
Lindsay Quella,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Ryan grins down, then kisses him.—
Natalia Winkelman,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Tony Benna, listening on the same Zoom call, laughs at the story.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Jean Franklin, center, laughs with her sons, Louis (right) and Charlie, and Charlie's girlfriend, Masha Billingsley.—
Christine Mai-Duc,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Those surrounding the bride stood up and began clapping, their frowns shifting to wide smiles.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
-
If only humans kept their expressions to cartoonishly clear frowns and smiles.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In the video, Claffey tries to move Ansell away from the subject and grimaces at the camera when his costar seems to say a little too much.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Ask anyone in Teahupo’o about that thing, and expect grimaces and shaking heads.—
Megan Spurrell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Smiles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smiles. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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