smirk

American  

[smurk] / smɜrk /

verb (used without object)

1. to smile in an affected, smug, or offensively familiar way.

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noun

1. the facial expression of a person who smirks.

smirk British  

/ smɜːk /

noun

1. a smile expressing scorn, smugness, etc, rather than pleasure

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verb

1. (intr) to give such a smile

2. (tr) to express with such a smile

Usage

What does smirk mean? A smirk is a kind of smile, but it’s not a friendly smile—it’s often a sarcastic or arrogant one or one that’s intended to provoke or irritate the person who sees it.Smirk is also a verb that means to smile in such a way. People often smirk to show contempt for someone or something—such as by smirking at a person who’s angry at them.Sometimes, though, the word simply refers to a kind of slight smile or a smile that looks like a smirk usually does—a baby might smirk, for example, obviously without meaning anything by it.Example: Wipe that smirk off your face and take this seriously!

Other Word Forms

• smirker noun
• smirking adjective
• smirkingly adverb
• unsmirking adjective
• unsmirkingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of smirk

First recorded before 900; Middle English smirken (verb), Old English sme(a)rcian

Example Sentences

“All because my dad hit his head at this park,” Soboroff says with a smirk, recalling the incident that set off his father’s community safety efforts.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2026

I must be left in the snow, I must be buried in a hole, I must be reprimanded and ordered not to smirk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025

Sheep are simultaneously fluffy and unsettling owing to their perpetual smirk.

From Salon • Sep. 18, 2025

Nevertheless, Bovino’s smirk in the group portrait says it all.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2025

Mr. Lew, with his stout belly straining against the frog knots of his long changshan, listened with an amused smirk as Ba rattled off concerns about the store.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• grin
• sneer