smirked

verb

past tense of smirk
as in grimaced
to smile in an unpleasant way because you are pleased with yourself, glad about someone else's trouble, etc. She tried not to smirk when they announced the winner.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smirked One smirked while the others stared me down. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026 Desler smirked and gave him a small nod, which Goth returned. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 10 Nov. 2025 With this, Friedmann smirked at Hall and gave a quick wave of the hand. — James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026 Unbothered, Louis smirked at his sister and continued to boogie to the beat. — Alicia Brunker, InStyle, 11 June 2026 On our recent trip to Arizona, my 12-year-old son lingered in the Grand Canyon gift shop near the stickers, smirked at me, and picked out two of his favorites. — Jaclyn Greenberg, Parents, 18 June 2026 Corey observed the Amazon representatives smirked when residents spoke. — Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026 When told that Hyland modeled his game after the famed streetballer Hot Sauce from the And-1 Mixtape Tour, Finch smirked. — Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026 Stankiewicz, 61, smirked at the fitting metaphor after the Trojans clinched their first NCAA super regional berth in 21 years. — Jose De Jesus Ortiz, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smirked
  1. grimaced
  2. stared
  3. scowled
  4. frowned
Verb
  • And that became mighty inconvenient in the seventh inning, when shortstop Willy Adames swung through a pitch, grimaced with lower back pain and made a tapping-out gesture to the dugout.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 29 June 2026
  • Greenberg tried his best to ignore an irritating ankle injury that had plagued him the last couple of weeks and grimaced under the hazy sunlight as the pitcher, probably 20 or more years his junior, stared him down.
    — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of grimaced
Verb
  • Malik Tillman stared at the ball for a free kick just outside the box, to the left of the goal.
    — Darren Sabedra, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
  • Roberto Baggio stared at the ground next to the 12-yard penalty spot in California after sending Italy’s final attempt over the crossbar in the 1994 World Cup final against Brazil — the first time a men’s tournament had been decided on penalties.
    — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 28 June 2026
Definition of stared
Verb
  • Those that attended mostly sat and scowled.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Another line of attack likens the show to when bachelorette parties invade gay bars — a practice frequently scowled upon by gay patrons.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 22 Dec. 2025
Definition of scowled
Verb
  • It is also frowned upon for the guests to help themselves to multiple servings without getting a cue from the host.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 3 July 2026
  • They were expelled from several schools by 1896 at just 16 years old, and followed their hearts to do traditional performances at a time when celebrating their people was frowned upon in society.
    — William Earl, Variety, 26 June 2026
Definition of frowned

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Cite this Entry

“Smirked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirked. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on smirked

Nglish: Translation of smirked for Spanish Speakers

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