How to Use smart in a Sentence

smart

1 of 4 adjective

• Poodles are said to be smart dogs.
• He gave her a smart answer.
• That was a smart investment.
• That's true about the smartest people in the world, right?
  — Brian Resnick, Vox, 8 June 2018
• Maybe youse are smart enough to know what the hell that means.
  — Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 10 Mar. 2022
• Some of the polling shows the strategy is a smart play.
  — al, 17 July 2022
• The Browns will be smart with all of them to get them to the season healthy.
  — cleveland, 4 July 2021
• To be sure, the promise of the smart garden is not new.
  — Mandy Behbehani, SFChronicle.com, 3 July 2020
• Dress smart and bring the right tools and equipment with you.
  — Kristi Eaton, Chron, 12 Nov. 2021
• But Swift is smart enough to let her fans in on that, too.
  — Andy Hermann, Los Angeles Magazine, 21 May 2018
• Gascón is smart enough not to let words come back to haunt him.
  — Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2022
• This was smart, and the Jazz did struggle with it at first.
  — Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 Mar. 2021
• And is Reggie even smart enough to pull all of this off?
  — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, 24 Jan. 2019
• But what is so smart about a whip, and why should punch be pleased?
  — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2022
• And that's a very smart way to protect your health, for now and in the future.
  — Lisa Bain, Good Housekeeping, 28 Apr. 2023
• Cassie: Did your smart home keep turning the lights on?
  — Quartz Staff, Quartz, 2 May 2023
• Most of us are smart enough not to try to control the weather.
  — Terry Pluto, cleveland, 24 Apr. 2021
• The show is smart enough to get away with baring its teeth more.
  — Jen Chaney, Vulture, 5 May 2021
• So dumb guys go for dumb girls, and smart guys go for dumb girls?
  — Sauleha Kamal, The Atlantic, 12 June 2018
• Light-wash jeans are a smart choice for spring and summer.
  — Nicol Natale, Peoplemag, 18 Feb. 2024
• This is just one of the many smart investments Nas has made over the years.
  — Jasmine Browley, Essence, 10 Mar. 2024
• Walter was too smart, and the ship was full of dumbbells.
  — New York Times, 23 Dec. 2020
• The younger brother was smart enough not to mess with a jilted lover.
  — Nick Hoppe, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 June 2018
• But this league has a lot of smart people and a lot of great players.
  — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 16 Sep. 2019
• With that in mind, here are six savvy steps to invite right and host smart.
  — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2020
• Joe Biden said poor kids can be just as smart as white kids.
  — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2020
• Oh, my God, that is so smart of them to figure that out.
  — Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2022
• That voice was warm but sly, smart, and never cliquish.
  — John Rasmus, Outside Online, 11 Jan. 2022
• With Diontae Johnson entering a walk year, the Panthers investing two picks into wide receiver is a smart bet.
  — Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
• There are tons of other cool features as well, including a solar-charging remote and the powerful Tizen smart platform.
  — K. Thor Jensen, PCMAG, 16 Apr. 2024

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smart

2 of 4 verb

• Her eyes were smarting from the smoke.
• But Lyons, who was still smarting from the April e-mail, had had enough.
  — Frank Phillips, BostonGlobe.com, 28 June 2018
• The highs here work because the MCU is a monument to smart casting; there’s warmth amid the chill.
  — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2022
• My hands smarted from grabbing a branch bristling with sharp spines.
  — National Geographic, 1 Oct. 2019
• The first of their bunch, not a few of them Southerners smarting from the Civil War, took on the task of erasing what the earth had been.
  — Mark Arax, New York Times, 1 June 2023
• Europe and Asia are still smarting over the U.S. having beaten them to the 4G finish line.
  — Robert M. McDowell, WSJ, 27 Sep. 2018
• Lowe's: Hundreds of Cyber Week deals, from appliances and tools to smart home and bath.
  — Staff, CNN Underscored, 1 Dec. 2019
• From Apple’s AirTags to smart home equipment, keep your family and friends up to date with the latest and greatest.
  — Madeline Fass, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2022
• Dax stays on the sidelines coaching, still smarting from a wicked block laid down by his rival, Mookie (an off-the-wall Nick Kroll), as a youth.
  — Katie Walsh, kansascity, 28 June 2018
• Dax stays on the sidelines, coaching, still smarting from a wicked block laid down by his rival, Mookie (an off-the-wall Nick Kroll), as a youth.
  — Katie Walsh, latimes.com, 28 June 2018
• Fear sharpened her wits, and the world shifted into focus as the smarting in her eyes faded.
  — David Canfield, EW.com, 17 Oct. 2019
• There also is an aging generation of fans here still smarting from the way the New York Jets and Mets broke their hearts in 1969.
  — Peter Schmuck, baltimoresun.com, 18 July 2019
• That leaves Jimmy Fallon, still smarting from his Trump hair mussing, out in the Emmys cold.
  — Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 12 July 2018
• For those of us still smarting over the local team shipping a certain someone to the Yanks after the 1919 season, there’s that tiny bit of solace.
  — Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 13 May 2023
• Back in the Norchester neighborhood, Daniel Rawson was smarting at his bad bet.
  — Valerie Bauerlein, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2017
• Nothing smarts quite like a sunburn, so use an ocean-friendly sunscreen that'll save your skin and protect the creatures in the water.
  — Scottie Andrew, CNN, 29 Aug. 2019
• Some, smarting from recent layoffs and pay cuts, felt the company was asking even more of them.
  — Mike Rogoway | [e-mail], oregonlive, 26 Jan. 2023
• Democrats are still smarting from their January beat-down.
  — Chad Pergram, Fox News, 8 Mar. 2018
• Fans of the women’s team are still smarting over Trump’s earlier treatment of Rapinoe.
  — Ephrat Livni, Quartzy, 7 July 2019
• By the time Lauer was fired last year, NBC was already smarting from a series of missteps that have put it on the wrong end of some of the nation's biggest news stories.
  — Sarah Ellison, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Dec. 2012
• Bogle was warned against the dangers of allocating money to smart beta funds.
  — Bloomberg.com, 12 June 2017
• The opposition, still smarting at its ejection from office, will pounce at the first sign of failure.
  — The Economist, 12 June 2019
• Upgrade to smart home lighting with this starter kit, which includes four white and colour ambient bulbs and a Hue home hub to voice control your lights.
  — Fiona Tapp, CNN Underscored, 13 Oct. 2020
• But the real focus of the first few episodes is Bear, who has spent so much of the show smarting at being left behind — by his father, by Elora, by Daniel.
  — Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2023
• Atlantic, still smarting from last week’s opening loss to Palm Beach Central, responded with a pair of touchdown drives to take a 14-6 lead by the end of the first quarter.
  — Sun-Sentinel.com, 3 Sep. 2017
• With one out and the Tribe smarting under a two-hit diet, pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell dropped a single into rightfield.
  — Gene Myers, Detroit Free Press, 10 Aug. 2019
• Nest Hello Nest has a new doorbell--the Nest Hello ($229)--which pairs with its security system and smart lock [link to smart lock slideshow here!].
  — Nena Farrell, Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018
• Pitchers tossed underhand and no one wore gloves yet, resulting in smarting pain in the hands of catchers and first basemen.
  — Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 29 Mar. 2023
• Her prose is slicing and exacting; this is a book that smarts but also comforts with its precise generosity.
  — Chloe Schama, Vogue, 12 Jan. 2024
• Hilary, smarting from a recent fight with David, coaxes Puri to drink with her, giving her helper a makeover and one of her formal gowns and encouraging her to practice her audition song.
  — Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2024

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smart

3 of 4 noun

• Will Trump have the smarts and guts to do the right thing?
  — Trudy Rubin, Philly.com, 12 Aug. 2017
• Some of the smarts in the Siemens building are there for the workers.
  — The Economist, 12 Sep. 2019
• Stick tap for the Knights’ discipline and smarts on and off the ice.
  — Steve Rosenbloom, chicagotribune.com, 21 May 2018
• Europe has the smarts and the wealth and the market to be a tech leader.
  — Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, 22 Nov. 2019
• The junior walk-on guard is the guy teammates said is the most book-smart on the team.
  — Fletcher Page, The Courier-Journal, 30 Oct. 2017
• This little home hids its smarts in the most clever way.
  — Nena Farrell, Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018
• Language may be one of the best ways to demonstrate that kind of smarts.
  — Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Popular Science, 14 Sep. 2023
• In fact, some of the smarts here are built into an app: the Google Search app used for the settings.
  — Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 18 Sep. 2017
• She was wowed by his sweetness and his smarts, and by the setting.
  — Vance Muse, Houston Chronicle, 14 June 2019
• Just try to use my smarts or a pump fake or double clutch.
  — Tom Orsborn, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Jan. 2018
• That means games will be won on skill and smarts rather than surprise.
  — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 29 May 2018
• It’s packed full of smarts, as well as being a fount of worthwhile clicks.
  — Chris Stanford, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2020
• The Chiefs, at least from my view, have handled this with smarts and planning.
  — Sam Mellinger, kansascity, 30 Jan. 2018
• That might be premature, as Tunisia has the smarts to slow the tempo of the game and cause trouble.
  — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, 7 June 2018
• But how many of them have the drive, the smarts, the chutzpah — and the talent — to turn into a Barbara Stanwyck?
  — Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Aug. 2019
• Yeoh played one of the most powerful Bond women, an equal to 007 in terms of smarts and strength.
  — Dan Heching, CNN, 10 Mar. 2023
• And to have the presence of mind and the soccer smarts to make that play there ... very, very, very impressive.
  — Grant Wahl and Brian Straus, SI.com, 2 July 2018
• Growing up in the big city also made Nancy tough and street-smart.
  — Juan Ortega, www.feloniousflorida.com, 24 Apr. 2018
• His looks got him work as a male model and his smarts helped him beat the odds at the local casinos.
  — CBS News, 10 Feb. 2018
• These films aspired to Peele’s Get Out but lacked its humor and its smarts.
  — Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 June 2023
• Software, not hardware, is the source of speaker smarts.
  — Joanna Stern, WSJ, 25 Oct. 2017
• Google’s Chromecast can help bring smarts and streaming to your TV.
  — Alexandria Haslam, PCWorld, 12 Sep. 2018
• Given that, the police should probably have had the smarts to back off.
  — Leor Galil, Chicago Reader, 23 Feb. 2018
• Now Google is offering its smarts and a small (to Google) chunk of change to begin to atone for its sins.
  — Robert Hackett, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2018
• Smart cars, smart homes, smart clothing—a whole lotta smart.
  — David Guston, Slate Magazine, 17 Oct. 2017
• But crows aren’t the only birds who have some serious smarts.
  — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 31 Dec. 2019
• Read how the pop star’s net worth has soared through touring, album sales and business smarts.
  — Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2023
• The women use their power over men, and their smarts, to fulfill both needs and desires.
  — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 12 Sep. 2019
• While that film made the case for her movie-star bonafides and her producing smarts, she’s also taken on smaller, more challenging roles.
  — Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2024
• Using smarts to draft and develop quarterback Josh Allen.
  — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2024

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smart

4 of 4 adverb

• I dress smarter than she does.
• He plays smart and the fans appreciate that.
• Play it smart during the contract negotiations and you'll get more vacation time.
• The Colorado staff has been smart in moving him up all over the field to get the ball in his hands, even playing him as a Wildcat quarterback at times.
  — Jeff Bailey, The Denver Post, 4 Dec. 2019
• All this talk about getting smart and standing up to immigrants is a giant con.
  — William Saletan, Slate Magazine, 31 Mar. 2017
• Work hard and smart now as this cycle of high dynamics won’t last forever.
  — Jeraldine Saunders, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2017
• Get a visual on your timers (and the time of day) with the Echo Wall Clock, a smart-looking clock that works with your existing compatible Echo device.
  — Cnn Underscored Staff, CNN Underscored, 30 Nov. 2020
• Gadgets and smart-designed everyday objects are sure to delight even the toughest mothers.
  — Popular Science, 8 Mar. 2021
• And then there was the girl's pantsuit: a smart-looking ensemble composed of a single-button marigold jacket and a matching pair of oversized slacks that hit a couple of inches above the ankle.
  — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, 1 June 2021
• Oasis, in 1996, was Britain: slouchy, cynical, funny, smart-arsed, brash, but a bit sensitive and bookish underneath.
  — Kyle Smith, National Review, 10 July 2021
• But here’s the thing: That’s exactly why training smart and consistently is so incredibly important.
  — Carey Lohrenz, Forbes, 18 May 2021
• But the combination of huge torque and a smart-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission means there's no need to work the engine to 6500 rpm to experience uncomfortable levels of acceleration.
  — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 10 July 2020
• Adams, son of the second president, and sixth president himself, was smart, omnivorous, observant, bitchy, and hilarious (though always unintentionally).
  — Nr Symposium, National Review, 31 July 2017
• The sophisticated, ultra-modern interior features smart recessed lighting throughout the first floor, which illuminates and accentuates every intriguing architectural angle.
  — Darla Guillen Gilthorpe, Houston Chronicle, 24 Feb. 2020
• I dress smarter than she does.
• He plays smart and the fans appreciate that.
• Play it smart during the contract negotiations and you'll get more vacation time.
• The Colorado staff has been smart in moving him up all over the field to get the ball in his hands, even playing him as a Wildcat quarterback at times.
  — Jeff Bailey, The Denver Post, 4 Dec. 2019
• All this talk about getting smart and standing up to immigrants is a giant con.
  — William Saletan, Slate Magazine, 31 Mar. 2017
• Work hard and smart now as this cycle of high dynamics won’t last forever.
  — Jeraldine Saunders, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2017
• Get a visual on your timers (and the time of day) with the Echo Wall Clock, a smart-looking clock that works with your existing compatible Echo device.
  — Cnn Underscored Staff, CNN Underscored, 30 Nov. 2020
• Gadgets and smart-designed everyday objects are sure to delight even the toughest mothers.
  — Popular Science, 8 Mar. 2021
• And then there was the girl's pantsuit: a smart-looking ensemble composed of a single-button marigold jacket and a matching pair of oversized slacks that hit a couple of inches above the ankle.
  — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, 1 June 2021
• Oasis, in 1996, was Britain: slouchy, cynical, funny, smart-arsed, brash, but a bit sensitive and bookish underneath.
  — Kyle Smith, National Review, 10 July 2021
• But here’s the thing: That’s exactly why training smart and consistently is so incredibly important.
  — Carey Lohrenz, Forbes, 18 May 2021
• But the combination of huge torque and a smart-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission means there's no need to work the engine to 6500 rpm to experience uncomfortable levels of acceleration.
  — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 10 July 2020
• Adams, son of the second president, and sixth president himself, was smart, omnivorous, observant, bitchy, and hilarious (though always unintentionally).
  — Nr Symposium, National Review, 31 July 2017
• The sophisticated, ultra-modern interior features smart recessed lighting throughout the first floor, which illuminates and accentuates every intriguing architectural angle.
  — Darla Guillen Gilthorpe, Houston Chronicle, 24 Feb. 2020
• I dress smarter than she does.
• He plays smart and the fans appreciate that.

Last Updated: 5 Sep 2024