as in laughs
to express scornful amusement by means of facial contortions
they brushed off his sneer and went about their business
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Recent Examples of sneers
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
Jacob sneers, but doesn’t even wait for his son to answer.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sneers
Verb
-
Our lyrics are meant to be easy to remember and understand — without being totally dumb either, which, let’s face it, happens a lot in electronic music [laughs].—
Alma Rota,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
-
In response, the Marvel star just laughs.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Lo sets the phone down and smiles just before the credits start to roll.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Maggie also smiles tolerantly when Hank keeps his hand on her knee for a few beats too many, or leans in close during chats.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
As his father read drafts of the Declaration of Independence, William was carted off, to jeers and insults.—
Stacy Schiff,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Throughout the weekend, McIlroy and other European players sparred with fans, provoking the Irish golfer in at least one instance to yell back at the crowd, while others flashed middle fingers in response to the jeers.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sneers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sneers. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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