1
as in grins
to express an emotion (as amusement) by curving the lips upward
the soldier smiled in pleasure when he saw the giant sign welcoming him home
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in laughs
to express scornful amusement by means of facial contortions
smiled at their ridiculous antics and walked away in disgust
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smiles
Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026
And Jacob Elordi smiles and raises his fist as the hair/makeup team shout out the actor for sitting in a makeup chair for 400 hours to become the Creature.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026
Fortune rarely smiles twice on the same backside.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Kiefer Sherwood #44 of the San Jose Sharks smiles between plays in the first period against the Calgary Flames at SAP Center on February 26, 2026 in San Jose.
—CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Each position group or side of the ball took turns peeling off from the crowd for a still shot with the Lombardi Trophy and their closest teammates, with cigars in their mouths, goggles on their heads and smiles on their faces.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
Even the laughs and smiles that Joe and Kate Keller issue are fleeting, a respite from the journey toward a more crushing reality.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
To demonstrate, Ejae smiles to form creases below her eyes, then dusts some brown powder onto the area.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
Poles apart in character, Michaela proposes a joyful celebration of life for John, where Francesca finally smiles and thanks her for her support.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
Sam Asghari smiles with Paul Feig at a Human Rights Campaign dinner in Los Angeles on March 28.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026
And Jacob Elordi smiles and raises his fist as the hair/makeup team shout out the actor for sitting in a makeup chair for 400 hours to become the Creature.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026
Fortune rarely smiles twice on the same backside.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Kiefer Sherwood #44 of the San Jose Sharks smiles between plays in the first period against the Calgary Flames at SAP Center on February 26, 2026 in San Jose.
—CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Each position group or side of the ball took turns peeling off from the crowd for a still shot with the Lombardi Trophy and their closest teammates, with cigars in their mouths, goggles on their heads and smiles on their faces.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
Even the laughs and smiles that Joe and Kate Keller issue are fleeting, a respite from the journey toward a more crushing reality.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
To demonstrate, Ejae smiles to form creases below her eyes, then dusts some brown powder onto the area.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
Poles apart in character, Michaela proposes a joyful celebration of life for John, where Francesca finally smiles and thanks her for her support.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smiles
Verb
-
Jesus grins when asked which of the two pushes players harder in training.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The suspect in a stabbing in Edinburgh, Scotland, grins out a window before his arrest, March 2, 2026.—
Lindsay Quella,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Henry takes in Link, who at this point is a teenager and laughs him off.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Now a senior, Kleemann just laughs at the idea.—
Sam Brief,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Those surrounding the bride stood up and began clapping, their frowns shifting to wide smiles.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
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If only humans kept their expressions to cartoonishly clear frowns and smiles.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In the video, Claffey tries to move Ansell away from the subject and grimaces at the camera when his costar seems to say a little too much.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Ask anyone in Teahupo’o about that thing, and expect grimaces and shaking heads.—
Megan Spurrell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Smiles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smiles. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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