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
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Simmons laughs when recalling the experience.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Honestly, my only regret is this thing in the eye [laughs].—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Crew 11 commander Zena Cardman, in obvious good spirits, smiles as she's helped from the Crew Dragon capsule.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
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Humans tend to synchronize with each other, which means that when someone smiles at you, you’ll be inclined to smile back.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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While there were a few snickers, the photographers obliged and got their photos.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Another set of jeers followed when Max Christie sank his sixth 3-pointer of the first half, part of a phenomenal shooting performance for the fourth-year guard.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Jan. 2026
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There were also jeers when Vinicius and Jude Bellingham’s names were read out for the line up over the tannoy.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 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 21 Jan. 2026.
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