1
as in laughs
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 sneers
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
Matthew Glowicki, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Sep. 2025
In the second photo, the pair walk hand in hand through a field, as Parker Estell, 33, smiles at the camera.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
Romain Grosjean smiles in the paddock during the Sprint/qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 19, 2024 in Austin, United States.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Melissa Chabot's 8-year-old son, Owen, is creative, has a great memory and smiles a lot.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
The late Saget, who died in 2022, smiles bashfully next to a young Bure in one of them.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2025
Luffy, the series’ protagonist, is a cheerful character who smiles through adversity.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
The nurse smiles, but glances at the clock.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
Elmer Lucille Allen smiles from a mural painted in her honor on a building along Jackson Street in Smoketown.
—Matthew Glowicki, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Sep. 2025
In the second photo, the pair walk hand in hand through a field, as Parker Estell, 33, smiles at the camera.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
Romain Grosjean smiles in the paddock during the Sprint/qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 19, 2024 in Austin, United States.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Melissa Chabot's 8-year-old son, Owen, is creative, has a great memory and smiles a lot.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
The late Saget, who died in 2022, smiles bashfully next to a young Bure in one of them.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2025
Luffy, the series’ protagonist, is a cheerful character who smiles through adversity.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
The nurse smiles, but glances at the clock.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smiles
Verb
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Patrick grins at the camera from behind the 14-time Grammy winner, while Brown and his wife, musician Katelyn Jae, stand toward the left.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
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TikTok @thanosthesaint Clearly enamored with the new game, Lavender grins up at the camera—and the video then switches to her doing the very same thing at a different time, and this time Thanos has all four legs in the air for easier access.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In response, the Marvel star just laughs.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
30 Sep. 2025
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Jones laughs instead of screams.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Over the course of an hour, a virtuosic guitarist, a singer, and three dancers performed a program of mournful music and percussive dance, their faces set in serious frowns—an integral part of the performance.—
Fiona Mozley,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
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The aim was to encode the various nuanced ways human faces transmit states of mind, and then to visualize them; smiles and frowns are the barest beginning.—
Dan Rockmore,
New Yorker,
9 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smiles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smiles. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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