How to Use smack of in a Sentence

smack of

verb
  • This smacks of fake tough guy nonsense.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The whole thing smacks of misogyny and, frankly, jealousy.
    — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025
  • While that smacks of too small a sample size, the lack of coverage itself is telling.
    — Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Again, that smacks of having to be inventive and making do.
    — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
  • This smacks of whitewashing, which is usually a bad sign.
    — Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
  • Choosing thick wool that smacks of winter or a lightweight cashmere can change the tone of a look, too.
    — Rachele Guidotti, Glamour, 23 Nov. 2025
  • Criticism has been predictable—the event smacks of excess.
    — Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic, 13 June 2026
  • But their efforts are not enough to save this unnecessary sequel that smacks of a cash grab.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
  • These saucy ribs smack of summer barbecues and will brighten any winter day.
    — Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2025
  • This smacks of a similar approach used in the Illinois law.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
  • For Saylor’s detractors, all of this smacks of the worst type of hucksterism.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2025
  • This is the wrong time for a baseball stadium — or anything that looks frivolous or smacks of cronyism.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2026
  • Even if Fuqua had made the movie like a gritty documentary, just the entrance of Bubbles the chimp would smack of camp.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
  • The entire process smacked of the typical backroom political deal.
    — Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 28 Mar. 2026
  • In short, these actions smack of intimidation more than protection.
    — Elizabeth Goitein, Time, 27 Sep. 2025
  • In that context, the rhymes between Iger and D’Amaro didn’t smack of conservatism but came as a relief.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 13 May 2026
  • In her books, anything that smacks of compassion or tenderness deserves, at best, strategic suspicion.
    — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Chatter echoes through the ballpark, only to be interrupted by the smack of an aluminum bat, cheers and a foghorn sound effect after a player hits a home run.
    — James Burky, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
  • To him, the reorganization smacks of an attempt to sow chaos and drive experienced employees out the door.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Even this insight — that man can be more powerful than God — smacks of Agnes’s maturing understanding.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026
  • Even if a person’s behavior smacked of espionage, the officer’s only recourse was to provide a free ride and a Slurpee.
    — Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Masterson said Holscher’s assessment of the GOP smacks of hypocrisy.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2025
  • More broadly, this instinctive punching left at anything that smacks of gender, or academics, or whatever else the center is scared of, is never about language.
    — James Folta, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The Tyrolean-style on-mountain lodge, Utah’s first five-star property as of 1982, still smacks of old-world elegance.
    — Amy Tara Koch, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2026
  • This latest endeavor, no matter the actual amount of manpower that went into it, smacks of careless indifference.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
  • So too does everything else in the grand finale, which smacks of obligation where even the least ambitious setpieces in his previous films were drunk with opportunity.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
  • Above all, the appointment smacked of a belief that the most important thing for Spurs at this point — especially in their new stadium — was that they should be seen around the world as a big club.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
  • The story of the two who first crossed paths in the early, tumultuous years in the history of Park Forest smacks of a stronger than steel emotional attachment.
    — Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
  • But such language smacks of propaganda, not professionalism.
    — Raul A. Reyes, Mercury News, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Victor Lindelof’s pre-match comments smacked of bombast and confidence, the sort of words which are said but not meant, platitudes used to motivate rather than to be sworn under oath.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 15 June 2026

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

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