smiling 1 of 3

adjective

as in laughing

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smiling

2 of 3

noun

as in cheering

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smiling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of smile
1
as in grinning
to express an emotion (as amusement) by curving the lips upward the soldier smiled in pleasure when he saw the giant sign welcoming him home

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2
as in sneering
to express scornful amusement by means of facial contortions smiled at their ridiculous antics and walked away in disgust

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smiling
Adjective
Women in black hijabs and abayas, many wearing badges depicting Zahra’s smiling face, lined the streets as men prayed over her casket, placed outside the Husseiniya, a Shiite hall. — Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026 As Thomas’ parents, Katina Smith and Bobby Thomas, unveiled their son’s smiling statue in the Broncos’ Ring of Fame Plaza last Sunday, as scores of his former teammates looked on in sadness and joy, Miller was 800 miles away in Dallas, gearing up for a game against the Cowboys. — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
In the post, De Laurentiis shared an image of Jade, 18, sitting on her dorm bed holding Radiohead’s In Rainbows record and smiling. — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026 The boos were more scattered and barely audible amidst the applause and cheers, which grew louder when the ballpark’s video boards showed the 2018 champ smiling, clapping, and waving from the visitors’ dugout. — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 21 Aug. 2026 Karen Jesch, a PhD student at Boston College’s Canine Cognition Center, points out that human smiling is a strange behavior to begin with, and not always a happy one. — Niranjana Rajalakshmi, Popular Science, 14 May 2026 There was a lot of nervous smiling. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025 Umanmielen responded with a GIF of a smiling, but famously blind, Stevie Wonder. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
At the conclusion of an English-language service interspersed with hymns in Arabic, the priest introduced Salazar, who stood up in the front row, smiling and waving. — Daniel Castro, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2026 Our photos — of Leo smiling at the Vatican and posing at scenic overlooks — attest to that. — Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026 In the second picture, Joseph is seen smiling and posing in front of the White House—and his appearance has reminded many of Barron. — Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 16 Oct. 2026 Lamont’s fellow Democrats are seen laughing and smiling in the video. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 14 Oct. 2026 During one sequence, Swift sits in her director’s chair with Kelce standing behind her, smiling and laughing with his hands lovingly holding her arms. — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026 This one was carved from a block of limestone and features a slender face with a long nose and a tiny, smiling mouth. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 The poster and key image from the film is a smiling snapshot of Mihai and Lisbet with their children, a seemingly happy family. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 Today, the 41-room property flies Hilton’s LXR flag, but the homely atmosphere remains, thanks to Barbieri’s photographs and local artworks lining the hallways, and the ever-smiling staff who greet every guest by name. — Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smiling
  1. amused
  2. laughing
  3. grinning
  4. jovial
  5. merry
  6. gleeful
  7. jolly
  8. cheerful
Adjective
  • This is the sort of attitude that our bikers are going to pick up on, and not in an amused way.
    — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Still, everyone onstage seemed amused and accustomed to Lange’s bluntness.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of amused
Noun
  • The thought of coworkers open-mouthed laughing is enough to jar anyone awake.
    — Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 24 July 2026
  • A lot of shouting, a lot of laughing, a lot of talk.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of laughing
Verb
  • Both Ruto, behind the wheel, and Chivayo are seen laughing, with Chivayo's wife grinning from the back seat.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • And then Chambliss drew the Tigers offsides not once but twice, the quarterback grinning a Cheshire grin after the second, as if LSU had fallen into his trap.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of grinning
Adjective
  • Tyler Kelly, one of the jovial valets, will happily answer any questions or assist with luggage to the car.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Zapata brothers, jovial and welcoming, both had thick, curly black hair with streaks of gray.
    — Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of jovial
Adjective
  • After tuning up, Batiste led his merry band of musicians to their stage.
    — Marc Lieberman, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The friendly staff, who wear black uniforms with lettering that identifies their duties add to the hotel’s merry atmosphere.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of merry
Adjective
  • Jocelyn Bioh’s School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play isn’t a musical, but about two-thirds of the way through, there’s a sing-off that’s both a gleeful showstopper and a wry metatheatrical treat.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2026
  • But the stage that Springer cultivated was a gleeful one, a tacky spectacle of shock and depravity, an ungodly home for the freaks who knew just what to do when the lights came on.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of gleeful
Adjective
  • The track opens with a sprinkle of piano before morphing into a jolly celebration that’s really going to hit this holiday season.
    — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Both his suggestion and the jolly appreciation seem out of tune with the situation ‘far from home’, which may be a military manoeuvre involving mock battles and bayonet practice, or a preparation for actual combat.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of jolly
Adjective
  • In the past, Cooper has had an active online life, a cheerful and talkative presence behind his thick black beard.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The rooms, which are decorated with wood and natural fibers, are set back from two miles of stunning Montego Bay beachfront and contain an impressive number of cheerful works of art by Jamaican artists.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheerful

Browse Nearby Words

smiles
smiling
smilingly
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Cite this Entry

“Smiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smiling. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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