smile
verb
\ ˈsmī(-ə)l
\
\
smiled;
smiling
Definition of smile
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to have, produce, or exhibit a smile
2a
: 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
smile
nounDefinition of smile (Entry 2 of 2)
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
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Other Words from smile
Verb
smiler
noun
smilingly
\ ˈsmī-liŋ-lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
Noun
smileless
\ ˈsmī(-ə)l-ləs
\
adjective
\
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
Davenport sat on a short white column, leaned her elbow against another, and smiled for the picture. — Los Angeles Times, "Kacey Musgraves and Tom’s One Hour Photo: The whole story," 31 Aug. 2019 No matter your measure or metric, Hall of Fame golfer Phil Mickelson has embraced social media in ways that cause real, honest-to-giggling-goodness smiles to light his face. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: ‘Fun Phil’ Mickelson dives into social media while helping San Diego kids," 30 Aug. 2019 Irish Days| Long Grove: All eyes will be smiling when Historic Downtown Long Grove presents its annual Irish Days, a 3-day family-friendly celebration of Irish culture, music, food and beer, August 31 – September 2. — Holly Baumbach, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago’s end of summer festivals," 30 Aug. 2019 One minute, Thore and her friends are having fun, laughing and smiling while decked out in rainbow eyeshadow. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Whitney Way Thore Is Changing Reality TV for Fat Women," 29 Aug. 2019 The unfortunate team from pot four to be drawn with these European giants is Czech side Slavia Prague whose representatives in the audience could only smile after seeing its name added to the group. — Matias Grez, CNN, "Barcelona drawn in Champions League 'group of death'; Liverpool gets Napoli," 29 Aug. 2019 Still smiling, Hosk simply picked up the accessory and put it back in its place. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Victoria's Secret Angel Elsa Hosk Dropped an Earring on the Red Carpet and Recovered Like a Champ," 29 Aug. 2019 One photo finds her smiling beneath a haircut that’s not quite as bowl as in her later years. — Lisa Kennedy, The Know, "Banderas, Zellweger, Scorsese, even Bill Gates — the 2019 Telluride Film Fest line-up is oh-so star-studded," 29 Aug. 2019 Featuring a rolling cast of characters, which can go as many as 20 members deep at times, Hartford Hot Several is a raucous group that will get the entire family moving and smiling. — Chip Mccabe, courant.com, "Hartbeat Music Festival: Take a listen to the 24 bands that will play for 12 hours on Hartford’s Riverfront Plaza," 27 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The news should be delivered with a big smile and maybe even ice cream to celebrate. — Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, "Dear Abby: Mom needs to set some boundaries for young outgoing daughter," 29 Aug. 2019 Thank you for welcoming me and giving me your smiles today. — Marcy Oster, sun-sentinel.com, "Cleveland Indians star Yasiel Puig visits Jewish camp for kids with cancer," 22 Aug. 2019 Her enthusiasm was infectious and her smile lit up a room. — Doha Madani, NBC News, "Mother in prominent Atlanta family suspected of killing 2 children, herself in murder-suicide," 22 Aug. 2019 There would be too much dancing, too much food and too many smiles. — Marcus Harrison Green, The Seattle Times, "Cultural embrace: Defying acts of hatred, Seattle-area Afrolatino Festival goes on," 18 Aug. 2019 During the holidays, children were delighted by Ted as Santa on the Polar Express, and his smile and welcoming presence were also found at the Donut Hut at the Medina County Fair and volunteering for the Salvation Army. — Sam Boyer, cleveland.com, "Newly licensed, he takes his parents for a ride; Sergio comes to Medina: Whit & Whimsey," 16 Aug. 2019 Starr is positively chilling in this role, switching between his charming public persona and his violent private one with ease, but his camera-ready smile never reaches his cold, hard eyes. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Review: The Boys is the perfect therapy for chronic superhero fatigue," 9 Aug. 2019 But this week, fans have noticed that Johnson appears to have made a dental change that switches up her smile. — Raisa Bruner, Time, "People Are Bidding Farewell to Dakota Johnson's Old Smile," 6 Aug. 2019 With her hair in Bantu knots and makeup artist Priscilla Ono on hand to provide a swipe of lime eyeshadow, Rihanna greeted the crowds with a smile. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Rihanna Proves She’s the Queen of Crop Over in Barbados," 5 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'smile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for smile
smile
verb
English Language Learners Definition of smile
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to make a smile : to make the corners of your mouth turn up in an expression that shows happiness, amusement, pleasure, affection, etc.
: to show or express (something, such as approval, encouragement, etc.) by a smile
: to say (something) with a smile
smile
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of smile (Entry 2 of 2)
: an expression on your face that makes the corners of your mouth turn up and that shows happiness, amusement, pleasure, affection, etc.
See the full definition for smile in the English Language Learners Dictionary