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
Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Jacob sneers, but doesn’t even wait for his son to answer.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
Meanwhile her old-school Communist grandmother sneers at the tactics her Red Diaper daughter employed.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
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
-
And Newton kept the crowd going with screams and laughs through tonight’s screening, sitting right behind her co-star Shawn Hatosy.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Tony Benna, listening on the same Zoom call, laughs at the story.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And Jacob Elordi smiles and raises his fist as the hair/makeup team shout out the actor for sitting in a makeup chair for 400 hours to become the Creature.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Fortune rarely smiles twice on the same backside.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The event also had free opportunities to take photos, get ice cream snickers and have earned a Super Bowl post card.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
Updated February 5,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
While there were a few snickers, the photographers obliged and got their photos.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In an era in high school sports where boos, jeers, and uncalled-for chants are the status quo, Shelton steers fans to uplift rather than put down.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Mar. 2026
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Oh, and one more thing, which becomes clear when every ball that ricochets off a fielder’s glove is greeted with jeers from onlooking teammates.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Rite of Spring premiere, on the other hand, caused a riot of booing, yelling, catcalls and face-punching, becoming one of the most infamous nights in the history of music.—
Luis Palomares,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Clearing right-of-way strips can result in the loss of trees and native vegetation; crackles, hisses and humming can be heard nearby especially during periods of high humidity; and farm fields and animal habitat can be affected by construction activities.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
12 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sneers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sneers. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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