Meaning & use
a smirk
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A smile that shows you are pleased with yourself or think you know something others don't, often in an annoying way.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a smirk' or 'smirks'.
Patterns
- with a smirk
- a smirk on someone's face
- give someone a smirk
He had a smirk on his face after winning the bet.
She gave me a smirk when the teacher praised her answer.
I could see the smirk on his face from across the room.
Word forms
| plural | smirks |
|---|
Common combinations
- a knowing smirk
- She gave a knowing smirk, as if she had already guessed the secret.
- wipe the smirk off someone's face
- His comment wiped the smirk off her face.
- with a smirk
- He answered with a smirk, which annoyed everyone.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- smirk verb
- To smile in a smug or knowing way.
Commonly confused: a smirk or smirk?
a smirk vs smirk
Smirk is also a verb; 'a smirk' is the noun. Don't say 'He smirked a smirk'—say 'He smirked' or 'He gave a smirk.'
Practice
Which sentence uses 'a smirk' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A smirk is a noun meaning a smug smile, so 'had a smirk on her face' is correct. Option 1 is wrong because 'smirk' is not used as a verb with an object like that. Option 2 uses the wrong preposition. Option 3 uses 'smirk' as an adjective, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a smirk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.