Meaning & use
smirk
Last updated
Meanings
verbintransitive
To smile in an annoying way that shows you feel pleased with yourself or know something others do not.
Grammar: No object; often followed by at: he smirked at me.
Patterns
- smirk at someone
- smirk about something
He smirked when the teacher called on someone else to answer.
She smirked at her rival as the results were read out.
Stop smirking and tell us what you did.
nouncountable
A smug or sly smile that shows self-satisfaction or quiet enjoyment of someone else's discomfort.
Grammar: Often used with an or his: a smirk on his face.
Patterns
- a smirk on someone's face
- wipe the smirk off someone's face
There was a smirk on his face when he saw my broken phone.
She tried to hide her smirk behind her coffee cup.
I wanted to wipe the smirk off his face after he lost the bet.
Word forms
| third person singular | smirks |
|---|---|
| past tense | smirked |
| past participle | smirked |
| -ing form | smirking |
| plural | smirks |
Common combinations
- a self-satisfied smirk
- He gave a self-satisfied smirk as he collected his prize.
- wipe the smirk off
- The coach's tough questions wiped the smirk off his face.
- smirk at someone
- The older kids smirked at the new student.
- a smirk spread across
- A smirk spread across her face when she saw the mistake.
- smirk triumphantly
- He smirked triumphantly as the referee blew the whistle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- smile
- Smile is neutral and can be warm, whereas a smirk always carries smugness or mockery.
- grin
- A grin is a wide, usually friendly smile, while a smirk is narrower and more unkind.
- sneer
- A sneer shows open contempt, which is stronger and more hostile than the smugness of a smirk.
- simper
- Simper means to smile in a silly, affected way, so it suggests false sweetness rather than smugness.
Opposites
Word family
- smirking adjective
- wearing or showing a smug smile
- smirker noun
- a person who smirks
- smirkingly adverb
- in a smug, smiling manner
Commonly confused: smirk or smile?
smirk vs smile
A smile can be kind and friendly; a smirk is a smug expression, so calling a smile a smirk would sound critical.
Practice
When he saw that his rival had forgotten the answer, Ben could not help but ______ at her.
Choose one answer.
Smirk fits because the scene is about smug enjoyment of another person's mistake. Beam suggests warm, open happiness, which does not match the unkind situation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “smirk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.