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
-
My musical theater peers would have been very hard on me [laughs].—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
30 May 2026
-
Now, the couple mostly laughs about the moment, even though Crawford admits the memory will probably stick with them forever.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Those smiles on their children will never be seen again by their parents and brother, Panish said.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
3 June 2026
-
The responder smiles proudly before throwing his hands into the air.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
There were snickers from some of the other students, including a tall and lank-haired kid whose name Adele didn’t know.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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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
Noun
-
The mayor exited through the back door to escape the jeers of his audience.—
Kevin Lozano,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
-
Whistles and jeers inside the Bernabeu have become increasingly common — aimed not only at players but occasionally even at Perez.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
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For Dua, puberty and social maturity become knotted up in unpredictable notions of bodily harm (whether acted upon, or merely threatened), as Serbian boys and men harass her on the way home from school, lacing their catcalls with ethnic slurs.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
13 May 2026
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When the Huskies took the court here, they were booed roundly and Hurley’s postgame interview with CBS was nearly drowned by the catcalls.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 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 8 Jun. 2026.
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