smile

1 of 2

verb

ˈsmī(-ə)l 

smiled; smiling

intransitive verb

1

: to have, produce, or exhibit a smile

2

a

: to look or regard with amusement or ridicule

smiled at his own folly

—Martin Gardner

b

: to bestow approval

feeling that Heaven smiled on his labors

—Sheila Rowlands

c

: to appear pleasant or agreeable

transitive verb

1

: to affect with or by smiling

2

: to express by a smile

smiler noun

smilingly

ˈsmī-liŋ-lē 

adverb

smile

2 of 2

noun

1

: a facial expression in which the eyes brighten and the corners of the mouth curve slightly upward and which expresses especially amusement, pleasure, approval, or sometimes scorn

2

: a pleasant or encouraging appearance

smileless

ˈsmī(-ə)l-ləs 

adjective

Synonyms

Verb

• beam
• grin

Examples of smile in a Sentence

Verb

The photographer asked us to smile for the camera.

She smiled when she saw him.

Both parents smiled their approval.

Noun

He greeted me with a big smile.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Douglas smiles, his face settling into wisdom and contentment that might be described as Franklin-esque. —Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

That’s what the 6-foot-7 forward did Thursday at GCU Arena, sticking around to enjoy the 3-point shooting contest as well as the conclusion of the dunk contest, robustly cheering, posing for photos, signing autographs, smiling, dancing. —Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024

Luna also smiled for a selfie with her beaming dad, 45, on the yacht. —Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024

Musk, who recently posed smiling for the cameras standing next to Peltz, openly endorsed the hedge fund manager on Wednesday, predicting good things for the stock price. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024

Nicole’s father Lionel Richie and mother Brenda Harvey-Richie were also in attendance, smiling alongside the family on the red carpet. —Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 3 Apr. 2024

Two brides in white dresses smile at each other standing at the altar, as their hands meld together into an ungodly finger clump. —Reece Rogers, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024

Even with a mask on, she was animated, and smiled for photos with her eyes. —Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 2 Apr. 2024

The sudden star of the night posed and smiled during the timeout as fans took photos. —Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2024

Noun

In the series of snaps, Anderson, 55, smiles and poses with prosthetic makeup underneath his chin and a product that appears to be an adhesive around his ears. —Charmaine Patterson, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024

One caregiver jumped on the bed, another swung from the divider between the bedroom and the study, and Ram Dass waved his one mobile hand with bright eyes and a rascally smile. —Christopher Fiorello, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2024

Mary’s mouth curls into a smile, which then quickly fades. —Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024

After Sunday's win put his team in the Final Four, Burns and two of his teammates walked into the post-game press conference, each bearing a smile and a Final Four hat adorned with the traditional souvenir — a little piece of basketball net, tied around the snap. —Becky Sullivan, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024

Ohtani was far from the only one who came out of the evening with a smile on his face. —Jim Alexander, Orange County Register, 4 Apr. 2024

There was a coy smile [on this agent’s face], knowing he got caught. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024

There was a coy smile [on this agent's face], knowing he got caught. —EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024

Susman remembers Brother Treasure telling him with a smile. —Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English smilen, going back to a Germanic verbal base *smil-, *smīl- (from earlier *smei̯l-) "smile," probably an extension with -l- of Indo-European *smei̯- "laugh, smile," whence Old Church Slavic smějǫ sę, smijati sę "to laugh," Latvian smeju, smiêt "to laugh, mock," Tocharian B smi- "smile," Sanskrit smáyate "(s/he) smiles," and with a -d- extension in Greek meidiáein "to smile," philomeidḗs "with a friendly smile," Latvian smaida "smile," smaidît "to smile, mock"

Note: The comparative set for this Germanic etymon do not show clear descent from a single form, perhaps due to its affective character. There is no attested Old English ancestor of Middle English smilen; a Scandinavian source has been suggested, but Danish smile "to smile" and Swedish smila, not attested before the 17th century, could be loans from an unattested Middle Low German verb. Old High German has smilenter (glossing Latin subridens "smiling"), with presumed long vowel, continued by Middle High German smielen. Kiliaen's 1599 Dutch dictionary enters smuylen "subridere," apparently with a different vocalism. Parallel to these are a group of forms with -r- rather than -l-: Old English smerian "to laugh, scorn," Old High German smierēn, smierōn (with e₂?) "to smile," Old English bismerian and Old High German bismerōn "to mock, insult," and, with different vocalism, Old English smǣr, smǣre "lip(s)," gālsmǣre "inclined to laugh, frivolous." The forms with -r- have been compared with Sanskrit (Vedic) á-smera- "not bashful, confiding," and particularly with Latin mīrus "remarkable, amazing," presumed to be derivative of a neuter *mīrum, going back to a noun *smei̯-ro- "laughter, smiling," (though a semantic shift from "laughter" to "astonishment" is questionable).

Noun

Middle English smyle, derivative of smilen "to smile entry 1"

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing smile

• a smile on one's lips
• thin smile
• bring a smile to one's lips
• had a smile on her lips
• crack a smile
• wear a silly grin/smile on one's face
• wipe that smile off your face
• wipe the smile off one's face
• archaic smile
• smile to oneself
• smile from ear to ear
• smile on/upon

Kids Definition

smile

1 of 2 verb

ˈsmī(ə)l 

smiled; smiling

1

: to have, produce, or exhibit a smile

2

a

: to look with amusement or ridicule

b

: to be fortunate or agreeable

the weather smiled on our plans

3

: to express by a smile

both parents smiled their approval

smiler noun

smilingly

ˈsmī-liŋ-lē 

adverb

smile

2 of 2 noun

: a change of facial expression in which the eyes brighten and the corners of the mouth curve slightly upward especially in expression of amusement, pleasure, approval, or sometimes scorn