smile
verb (used without object)
to assume a facial expression indicating pleasure, favor, or amusement, but sometimes derision or scorn, characterized by an upturning of the corners of the mouth.
were smiling
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past progressiveof smile.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
"That first time we saw them and they saw us, they were punching the air and they were smiling," McKay said.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
“If you pause the footage and look closely, you’ll see other people in the background who were smiling at the performance,” Landes added, referencing videos like this one.
From Slate ● May 30, 2025
Describing herself as frozen and “deeply confused” by confused by what was happening, Williams said it appeared that Trump and Epstein were smiling at each other during the incident.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2024
The men about to sit in front of the team backdrop, Rob Pelinka and Darvin Ham, were smiling and joking as they sat down to unofficially start their team’s upcoming season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2023
We were not only smiling at Karli’s antics, we were smiling into each other’s eyes.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
