smarts

/ (smɑːts) /

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pl n

slang, mainly US know-how, intelligence, or witsstreet smarts

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Words nearby smarts

smartly, smart mob, smart money, smartmouth, smartphone, smarts, smart sanction, smart set, smartwatch, smart weapons, smartweed

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

How to use smarts in a sentence

We channeled all our criminal smarts into finding ways to con the food system.
Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison|Daniel Genis|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kobeissi still gets criticized as an outsider, and it still smarts.
Crypto for the Masses: Here’s How You Can Resist the NSA|Quinn Norton|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The one thing they all seemed to have in common was an utter lack of street smarts.
Preppy Drug Bust High on Hype|Christopher Moraff|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some people have the smarts to grow the economic pie more than others and will end up serving themselves a relatively big slice.
Never Mind Inequality: Silicon Valley Enriches All of Our Lives|Gregory Ferenstein|May 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Yet seriously there cannot be any doubt about Ted Cruz's "smarts."
Why Does Ted Cruz Inspire Such Animosity?|David Frum|May 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Possibly there was considerable of irony in it too, the kind that smarts with all lads.
The Banner Boy Scouts on a Tour|George A. Warren
Zu schwer bezahlt man oft ein leicht Versehn—One often smarts pretty sharply for a slight mistake.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood
Her eye smarts or itches; and without thinking, she rubs it with a finger covered with the Magical Ointment.
The Science of Fairy Tales|Edwin Sidney Hartland
I hoped he'd had the smarts to wipe his fingerprints off the quarter, keep his hood up, and leave all his arphids at home.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow
Occasionally, I tried to take the long-hoarded sting out of these compunctious smarts by attending divine service in the open air.
Our Old Home, Vol. 2|Nathaniel Hawthorne

smarts

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How to use smarts in a sentence