as in grimaced
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 smirked
When told that Hyland modeled his game after the famed streetballer Hot Sauce from the And-1 Mixtape Tour, Finch smirked.
—
Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
With this, Friedmann smirked at Hall and gave a quick wave of the hand.
—James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
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
Desler smirked and gave him a small nod, which Goth returned.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 10 Nov. 2025
While his competitors smirked at the notion of a jukebox mobile, Jobs drove Apple to create the iPhone.
—Big Think, 3 Nov. 2025
Sneed repeated, and then smirked.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Stabler smirked before opening the door for her and wishing her a good night.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Chiles, waiting to speak in the back of the room, shook his head briefly and smirked.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
With this, Friedmann smirked at Hall and gave a quick wave of the hand.
—James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
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
Desler smirked and gave him a small nod, which Goth returned.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 10 Nov. 2025
While his competitors smirked at the notion of a jukebox mobile, Jobs drove Apple to create the iPhone.
—Big Think, 3 Nov. 2025
Sneed repeated, and then smirked.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Stabler smirked before opening the door for her and wishing her a good night.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Chiles, waiting to speak in the back of the room, shook his head briefly and smirked.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smirked
Verb
-
In the sixth, Pasquantino grimaced during the follow-through on his swing.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
29 Apr. 2026
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As the others grinned and grimaced at their rivals’ responses, Becerra was as stone-faced as Buster Keaton.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ramzan looked to her, pleading, but Sakeena’s eyes only stared into their reflection on the glass patio door.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
-
The Nuggets stared into the eyes of a pack of Wolves, and blinked.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Those that attended mostly sat and scowled.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
25 Feb. 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
Verb
-
As the odd man out, Meta does not have a public cloud, and its capex increase was frowned upon by investors.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
-
While Splitter remains a candidate for the full-time job, the franchise opened its search before the season ended, a practice that is frowned upon league-wide.—
Devon Henderson,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smirked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirked. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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