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.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smirk
Big Think, 3 Nov. 2025
The smirking Nabokov is tiresome.
—New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Coach Ben Johnson began Week 6 with a smirk when asked about the position.
—Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smirk
Verb
While his competitors smirked at the notion of a jukebox mobile, Jobs drove Apple to create the iPhone.
—Big Think, 3 Nov. 2025
The smirking Nabokov is tiresome.
—New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
In the quarter millennium since, scholars and activists have in different ways done their damnedest to wipe the smirk off his face.
—Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Coach Ben Johnson began Week 6 with a smirk when asked about the position.
—Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smirk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smirk
Verb
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Stokes grimaced, bit his collar and headed straight for the dressing room, unable to complete his over.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Lakanwal did not appear to have his eyes open during the hearing, seeming to grimace in pain at various points with his covers pulled up to his chin.—
Gary Grumbach,
NBC news,
2 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
McDonald’s is spreading a little festive sneer this holiday season with the release of a brand-new menu inspired by Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Nov. 2025
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Burnett tried several versions in a row: first deadpan, then with a sneer of sarcasm, pursing her lips in judgment.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Watch Lottie interact with elk in wholesome moment Video footage recorded by Dewey shows Lottie staring towards the camera as an elk approaches and cautiously walks closer to her.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
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In doing so, the artist grants his subjects newfound interiority, as viewers are invited to convene and gather rather than simply stare.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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While there were a few snickers, the photographers obliged and got their photos.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
11 Nov. 2025
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Early never makes fun of Maddie, never lets the audience snicker at the screen.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Part of me believes that, if Indiana wins, Cignetti should retire after this season and spend the rest of his life on a beach, scowling at resort attendants and being basically unimpeachable forever.—
Will Leitch,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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Another line of attack likens the show to when bachelorette parties invade gay bars — a practice frequently scowled upon by gay patrons.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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Good to know that kidnapping is still generally frowned upon by the French government.—
Elie Mystal,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
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My mother has never sought attention, and self-promotion is largely frowned upon in our family.—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smirk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirk. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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