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
-
But give me a beautiful suit and an audience that laughs at my jokes.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
15 June 2026
-
Sign up for a short class that excites you, or map a weekend day trip with a friend who laughs easily.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 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
-
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
Verb
-
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark turned the pregame tunnel into a reveal moment Thursday, arriving at Gainbridge Fieldhouse all smiles while carrying her first signature shoe in her right hand.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
-
Reflecting on the moment, Scheffler smiles.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Commencement speakers across the country have been met with widespread jeers over the past month, mostly in skeptical response to statements about a pending workplace evolution related to AI.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
-
In his first season, Partey made 32 appearances for Villarreal, where the jeers and whistles have followed him.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
12 June 2026
Noun
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Especially women, with all those drunken servicemen rolling through, packs of them, fights spilling out of the cafés, catcalls and spitting in the streets.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Up in the stands, fans waved their own flags — including some sneaked in over the objections of FIFA and the courts — and wrestled with emotions, as boos, howls and hisses rained down from all corners of the stadium.—
Rick Maese,
Washington Post,
16 June 2026
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Spray paint hisses and music envelops Amsterdam Avenue as Knicks colors cover the sidewalk.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sneers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sneers. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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