smart
verb (used without object)
to be a source of sharp, local, and usually superficial pain, as a wound.
is smarting
-
present progressiveof smart (3rd person singular).present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate 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.
Drake is smarting, and he spreads that hurt across more than an hour in the trilogy’s marquee album “Iceman.”
From Salon ● May 21, 2026
On security issues, France is smarting from its just-completed withdrawal from Mali where it had been leading the fight against jihadi groups in the Sahel.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2022
Bayern is smarting after its heaviest defeat for 43 years and will be looking for a reaction to Wednesday’s 5-0 loss at Borussia Mönchengladbach in the German Cup.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 29, 2021
Penn State is smarting after losing to Indiana in overtime and hasn’t opened Big Ten play 0-2 since 2010.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 29, 2020
She is a vital spirit; she chafes at chains; and she is smarting from a sense of inferiority.
From One Man in His Time by Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow
