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
They named Howe the smartest player, best passer and playmaker and best puck carrier.
But even the smartest policing by the most dedicated cops can only do so much in the absence of effective gun laws.
The comedian and filmmaker has been the smartest and funniest person in the room since he was in high school (maybe even earlier).
The Stacks: The Inimitable Albert Brooks Caught at the Dawn of His Movie Career | Paul Slansky | April 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI was sure that in New York there resided the smartest people in the world, and I suppose I was half-right about that.
Of course, you do not need to be the smartest of Alecs to know that I should be doing this with all my sources.
Henrietta had been dressed in a clean slip and the smartest hair ribbon she owned.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn | Margaret PenroseHorace Walpole characterized him in a series of his smartest antitheses as "a singular person whose life was one contradiction."
There are four or five chapels set apart for their improvement in Preston, and the smartest of these is in Fishergate.
Our Churches and Chapels | AtticusReal ladies, she urged timidly, did not wear their smartest clothes on such occasions.
A Charming Fellow, Volume II (of 3) | Frances Eleanor TrollopeThe smartest of smart tailor-mades was none too smart for her.
From Place to Place | Irvin S. Cobb
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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