smart ass

¹ American  

Also smartass

noun

Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.

1. a wise guy; know-it-all.

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smart-ass ² American  

[smahrt-as] / ˈsmɑrtˌæs /

adjective

1. Also smart-assed, smartassed characteristic of a smart ass or wise guy.

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noun

1. smart ass.

Etymology

Origin of smart ass¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Origin of smart-ass²

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

And my smart ass would tell him that he wasn’t going to drop 81 points within the first 10 minutes of the game.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2020

Sorry I'm late to this & not trying to be smart ass, but seriously what is a "legislation approval"? Huh?

From Washington Post • Oct. 23, 2017

I let that delusion go when I was about 15, but the recent case of the Indian couple who had their first child in their 70s put me in a smart ass mood.

From The Guardian • May 28, 2016

So when he arrived halfway through last night’s Emmy Awards to inject some much-needed smart ass humor into what was otherwise a three-hour layover of recycled Matthew McConaughey jokes, why wouldn’t we be excited?

From Salon • Aug. 26, 2014

Look, sure we all love a smart ass, Han was always cooler than Luke, Logan will always be cooler than Cyclops etc etc etc and so it goes.

From Time • May 3, 2013