as in grimaces
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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Recent Examples of smirks
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
Whereas most guests on With Love, Meghan would respond to a prompt like this with doe-eyed enthusiasm, Daniel simply smirks and shakes his head.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smirks
Verb
-
In the picture, Duggar holds her son, who wears a gray onesie and stares into the camera.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Thus, Botticelli’s Jesus, who stares at the fruit in deep thought, perhaps prophesies his own death and return, as opposed to the child in the Dreyfus Madonna, who proudly shows the unity of his church to his mother.—
Demir Alp,
JSTOR Daily,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Byrne has never been better, sharper, or more intimidating as a screen presence, carrying the movie with squints and frowns.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smirks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirks. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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