as in to grimace
to smile in an unpleasant way because you are pleased with yourself, glad about someone else's trouble, etc.
She tried not to smirk when they announced the winner.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smirk
Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Cruz then smirks as the officers detaining her place her on the hood of a vehicle.
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 7 Dec. 2025
Making the most of his spindly body and LaGuardia High School–bred smirk, Chalamet uses his inescapable boyishness completely to his advantage, bringing an immature audacity to the classic in-over-his-head operator.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smirk
Verb
During the court hearing at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana, Wedding, who wore a beige jail uniform and black Crocs, scanned the gallery and occasionally smirked.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Cruz then smirks as the officers detaining her place her on the hood of a vehicle.
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Noun
Carlton was seated on the podium with Schaefer during Thursday's post-game press conference, and his comments drew a slight smirk from the sophomore.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 7 Dec. 2025
Making the most of his spindly body and LaGuardia High School–bred smirk, Chalamet uses his inescapable boyishness completely to his advantage, bringing an immature audacity to the classic in-over-his-head operator.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smirk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smirk
Verb
-
Fully aware of how costly the mistake was, Glenn couldn’t hide her disappointment immediately after hitting her final pose, grimacing and trying to hold back her emotions.—
Alice Park,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Poulin stayed down on the ice for a moment, grimacing, and eventually skated back to the bench, putting minimal weight on her right leg.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sure, the scatalogical title and prurient lyrics reflected the band's age — Armstrong was fresh out of his teens at the time — but its punk sneer was rooted in sophisticated songcraft.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The obsequiousness, the sneers, the boasting, the vacant generalities, and the hand-waving bespeak fear of departing from the Trumpian orthodoxy of the moment.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Both squadrons stare each other down on horseback, in full armor and weaponry — looking like bonafide badasses of the Game of Thrones universe.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Jordan Stolz, sitting opposite of the finish line staring at a large video board, looked at his coach and nodded.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The event also had free opportunities to take photos, get ice cream snickers and have earned a Super Bowl post card.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
Updated February 5,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
While there were a few snickers, the photographers obliged and got their photos.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Then there was that image circulating in the bowels of the internet that showed a man who looked exactly like JD scowling at an unidentifiable brunette woman in a restaurant.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Grejo sank scowling back into his chair as though stung by Adi’s answer.—
Jonathan Miles,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Each time an audience member so much as sniggers or sneezes, money is docked from a prize pot of £250,000 ($330,000), the slightest noise costing them up to £10,000 ($13,000) each time.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
2 May 2025
-
This offbeat comedy, which originally ran from 2007-10, thrives on less explicit social tensions: sniggers behind the back and raised eyebrows at the dinner table.—
The Economist,
The Economist,
26 Dec. 2019
Verb
-
Seward tries on one of his safari jackets, based on a 1948 British army uniform, but Stéphane frowns at the fit.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Historically, archaeologists have wondered about this tradition, often frowned upon by Western audiences.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smirk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirk. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
