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
Rick Stroud,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2026
Unbothered, Louis smirked at his sister and continued to boogie to the beat.
—
Alicia Brunker,
InStyle,
11 June 2026
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Apr. 2026
In those heady decades of postmodern language-play and seductive irresolution, claims for literature as a force for truth and justice would likely be dismissed, with a smirk, as humanist pieties.
—
Charlie Tyson,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smirk
Verb
Head coach Todd Bowles could only smirk.
—
Rick Stroud,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2026
Unbothered, Louis smirked at his sister and continued to boogie to the beat.
—
Alicia Brunker,
InStyle,
11 June 2026
Noun
For her part, the first lady nearly managed a smirk.
—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Apr. 2026
In those heady decades of postmodern language-play and seductive irresolution, claims for literature as a force for truth and justice would likely be dismissed, with a smirk, as humanist pieties.
—
Charlie Tyson,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smirk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smirk
Verb
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And that became mighty inconvenient in the seventh inning, when shortstop Willy Adames swung through a pitch, grimaced with lower back pain and made a tapping-out gesture to the dugout.
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Murdaugh was grimacing and biting his lower lip during the exchange.
Noun
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With his rakish sneer and ruthlessly tight jodhpurs, Rupert has been thoroughly neutered with irony, transformed into an object for women to pick at.
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Of course, the prospect of one of the greatest women’s footballers in history skittering around Bromley on a Saturday lunchtime in front of a smattering of fans inevitably inspires sneers.
Verb
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Now, yes, staring at the ceiling long enough to draw you a diagram of the paint peeling.
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In Taiwan, a student sitting for an entrance exam for a top medical school was discovered wearing smart glasses after proctors noticed the student staring oddly at the test, leading to an inspection that revealed the frame was emitting heat.
Noun
-
The grown-ups in the audience snicker.
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There were snickers from some of the other students, including a tall and lank-haired kid whose name Adele didn’t know.
Verb
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As a 7-year-old, I’d entertain my father’s friends, at their weekly pickup game at a Bronx barn-house gymnasium, by imitating his game face—bottom lip jutting, eyes scowling.
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Modern tiki tends to take a lighter touch, using more abstract graphics, less imagery of women and scowling gods.
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.
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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.
Verb
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The upstairs neighbors would like to go to sleep somewhere between 9 at night and midnight, and so applause was frowned upon at the Gaslight.
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Oftentimes, disabling security protections is frowned upon.
Cite this Entry
“Smirk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirk. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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