smart
verb (used without object)
to be a source of sharp, local, and usually superficial pain, as a wound.
smarting
-
present participleof smart.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
Hollywood’s workforce is already smarting, with job losses steepening after dual strikes by actors and writers three years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
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
England, without a Six Nations title since 2020, will now face a Scotland side smarting from an 18-15 opening loss to Italy in Rome.
From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026
Americans are still smarting from a surge of food prices in the wake of the pandemic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2025
And when he felt the wound smarting, he whispered the word Om, filled himself with Om.
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
