as in to grimace
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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Examples of smirk in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 3 July 2024
Videos from the Home Run Derby, an event that has MLB players compete for the most home-run hits, show Phillies player Alec Bohm smirking as Andress sang what many described as an out-of pitch anthem.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 16 July 2024
Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024
Her sadistic smirk is still shocking after all these years.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for smirk 
Verb
On July 2, Hugh Jackman posted a BTS pic of a flexing, white tank wearing, smirking Reynolds in a hotel room.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 3 July 2024
Videos from the Home Run Derby, an event that has MLB players compete for the most home-run hits, show Phillies player Alec Bohm smirking as Andress sang what many described as an out-of pitch anthem.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 16 July 2024
Noun
But as our Zodiac boat slowly approached a mud bank in Western Australia's Kimberley region, a thick, scaly tail and a mouth that appeared to be curled in a jagged smirk came into view.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024
Her sadistic smirk is still shocking after all these years.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for smirk
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smirk.' 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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Cite this Entry
“Smirk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirk. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
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