smart
to be a source of sharp, local, and usually superficial pain, as a wound.
to be the cause of a sharp, stinging pain, as an irritating application, a blow, etc.
to feel a sharp, stinging pain, as in a wound.
to suffer keenly from wounded feelings: She smarted under their criticism.
to feel shame or remorse or to suffer in punishment or in return for something.
to cause a sharp pain to or in.
quick or prompt in action, as persons.
having or showing quick intelligence or ready mental capability: a smart student.
shrewd or sharp, as a person in dealing with others or as in business dealings: a smart businessman.
clever, witty, or readily effective, as a speaker, speech, rejoinder, etc.
dashingly or impressively neat or trim in appearance, as persons, dress, etc.
socially elegant; sophisticated or fashionable: the smart crowd.
saucy; pert: smart remarks.
sharply brisk, vigorous, or active: to walk with smart steps.
sharply severe, as a blow, stroke, etc.
sharp or keen: a smart pain.
Digital Technology.
(of a machine, system, etc.) equipped with electronic control mechanisms, software programs, etc., and capable of remote, automated, and seemingly intelligent operation: smart copiers;smart weapons;a smart thermostat.
equipped with microprocessors, as for data processing, internet access, etc. (usually used in combination): a smartphone;a smartwatch.
having properties that can be changed in response to stimuli or environmental conditions; self-regulating: smart fabrics that respond to temperature or light.
Older Use. considerable; fairly large.
in a smart manner; smartly.
a sharp local pain, usually superficial, as from a wound, blow, or sting.
keen mental suffering, as from wounded feelings, affliction, grievous loss, etc.
smarts, Slang. intelligence; common sense: He never had the smarts to use his opportunities.
Origin of smart
1Other words for smart
Opposites for smart
Other words from smart
- smart·ing·ly, adverb
- smart·ly, adverb
- smart·ness, noun
- su·per·smart, adjective
- su·per·smart·ness, noun
- ul·tra·smart, adjective
- un·smart, adjective
- un·smart·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use smart in a sentence
Where most shows would try to cram everything in, “The Crown” is all about smart choices.
The Charles and Diana saga weighs heavy on ‘The Crown,’ but Gillian Anderson’s Thatcher is a triumph | Hank Stuever | November 12, 2020 | Washington PostThe smart money says Morikawa will win here someday — because he’s so young and so good.
Who can win the Masters, who can but won’t and who to pick in your pool | Barry Svrluga | November 11, 2020 | Washington PostBoth are types of telepresence robots or smart videoconferencing computers with microphones and speakers attached.
‘Telepresence’ robots are making virtual school feel a little more like real school | Jennifer Davis | November 10, 2020 | Washington PostI don’t think any amount of smarts and education would do the same.
Many people, including herself, were extremely proud during Obama’s term, she said, because the country had “a president who was smart and had the people’s best interest at heart.”
This was the first time he had smarted in his penetrable part—the skin—and it made him very spiteful.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend | Charles ReadeLooking down, he saw the blood had dried on his left hand, while under that shoulder something smarted with every movement.
Ralph Granger's Fortunes | William Perry BrownWhat else could mean these gathering shadows that oppressed his lungs, that smarted in his eyes, that numbed his faculties?
Sarchedon | G. J. (George John) Whyte-MelvilleShe believed that his arm was broken, and smarted with wrath at her mistress for so easily taking his word to the contrary.
Rhoda Fleming, Complete | George MeredithHe shifted often in the saddle, because of the deep sunburns which smarted continually and maddeningly.
The Happy Family | Bertha Muzzy Bower
British Dictionary definitions for smart (1 of 2)
/ (smɑːt) /
astute, as in business; clever or bright
quick, witty, and often impertinent in speech: a smart talker
fashionable; chic: a smart hotel
well-kept; neat
causing a sharp stinging pain
vigorous or brisk
dialect considerable or numerous: a smart price
(of systems) operating as if by human intelligence by using automatic computer control
(of a projectile or bomb) containing a device that allows it to be guided to its target
to feel, cause, or be the source of a sharp stinging physical pain or keen mental distress: a nettle sting smarts; he smarted under their abuse
(often foll by for) to suffer a harsh penalty
a stinging pain or feeling
in a smart manner
Origin of smart
1Derived forms of smart
- smartish, adjective
- smartly, adverb
- smartness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Smart (2 of 2)
/ (smɑːt) /
Christopher. 1722–71, British poet, author of A Song to David (1763) and Jubilate Agno (written 1758–63, published 1939). He was confined (1756–63) for religious mania and died in a debtors' prison
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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