smile

1 of 2

verb

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 follyMartin Gardner
b
: to bestow approval
feeling that Heaven smiled on his laborsSheila 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 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 adjective

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
The Photoshopped image that showed a smiling princess who had been out of the public eye was crafted not so much out of a zeal for amateur photography as from the royals’ intent to protect their privacy and to stop the undertow of rumors. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024 Attempts to put rumors to bed by releasing a photo of her on Mother's Day in the U.K. surrounded by her three smiling children backfired when The Associated Press and other news agencies retracted the image because it had been manipulated. arkansasonline.com, 22 Mar. 2024 What likely happened with that photo is the thing that feels most true to the dynamics: Someone took old pictures of Kate smiling and boldly made them into a new one, created a moment that did not happen, stole her voice and name for the caption. Megan Angelo, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024 On the other is a picture of a smiling Taylor and his wife. Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 20 Mar. 2024 At the top of the page, the post was illustrated with a photograph of a smiling Altman shaking hands with G42’s CEO Peng Xiao, apparently taken during Altman’s trip to the Gulf earlier that summer. TIME, 20 Mar. 2024 Speculation and conspiracies grew on social media platforms after a photo released on Mother’s Day showing the smiling princess and her children had been digitally edited. Max Foster, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 Middleton is seen in good spirits, smiling and casually shopping with William at the Windsor Farm Shop near the couple’s Adelaide Cottage home. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024 Guests can’t help but smile when being served a meal on this pretty calico print. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 Mar. 2024
Noun
Susman remembers Brother Treasure telling him with a smile. Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024 Like Aduba, Colgate celebrates differences—in people and their smiles. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 25 Mar. 2024 Interspersed among the new homes are spaces, like gaps in a young child’s smile, where vacant lots have yet to be developed. Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024 On one side of the flyer, Taylor, with a subtle smile, holds a shotgun over one shoulder. Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 20 Mar. 2024 These homemade Mother's Day cards are easy to DIY with kids and guaranteed to bring plenty of smiles! Nicole Harris, Parents, 20 Mar. 2024 As if pulled right out of a rom-com, the two smile, shed a few tears and share a kiss before literally riding off into the sunset with each other, Simon’s sister Sarah (Frida Argento) and her best friend Felice (Nikita Uggla). Hunter Ingram, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024 And the actors certainly come to play: Wiig brings an off-kilter intensity to Maxine’s Barbie-perfect looks and pageant-ready smiles, so that no matter how hard Maxine works to blend in she cannot help but stick out. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2024 Whether Get Up Kids will continue to revisit this landmark project on stage remains to be seen, but as part of this Austin one-off, the experience undoubtedly put big smiles on a whole lot of faces. Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 17 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of smile was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near smile

Cite this Entry

“Smile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smile. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

smile

1 of 2 verb
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 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

More from Merriam-Webster on smile

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