smirk
verb (used without object)
to smile in an affected, smug, or offensively familiar way.
have smirked
-
present perfectof smirk.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some have smirked that the East Wing doesn’t matter much because it is primarily the province of first ladies, but that is a bizarre argument for its destruction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025
Actual hippie teenagers may have smirked at the copy, but it was eye-catching, as were the store’s broad selection and low prices.
From New York Times ● Sep. 17, 2019
The Quill of the first film, if informed that his long-lost dad was named Ego, would have smirked like a ten-year-old and asked to meet Uncle Id.
From The New Yorker ● May 5, 2017
One of them is said to have smirked, “Look at this, we’ve got an Awful Knofel and now we’ve got an Evil Knievel.”
From New York Times ● May 3, 2011
“Then you shouldn’t have smirked at me constantly—you think I am going to stand being mocked, here, now? You still so sure you’re better than me?”
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
