smilenoun [ C ]
uk/smaɪl/us/smaɪl/B1 a happy or friendly expression on the face in which the ends of the mouth curve up slightly, often with the lips moving apart so that the teeth can be seen:
Amy had a big/broad smile on her face.
She has a nice smile.
He winked and gave me a smile.
It's nice to be able to bring a smile to people's faces (= make people smile).
More examples
- Slowly a smile spread across her face.
- There was the faintest trace of a smile on her lips.
- He tried to suppress a smile but felt the corner of his mouth twitch.
- She gave everyone a welcoming smile.
- The minister wore a confident smile throughout the interview.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Laughing and smiling
- amused
- be all smiles idiom
- be in convulsions idiom
- be rolling in the aisles idiom
- be wreathed in smiles idiom
- beam
- bust
- gale
- gales of laughter idiom
- giggle
- giggler
- giggly
- grin
- say cheese idiom
- simper
- smiley
- smiling
- smilingly
- smirk
- stitch
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Idiom(s)
be all smiles
smileverb
uk/smaɪl/us/smaɪl/B1 [ I or T ] to make a happy or friendly expression in which the corners of your mouth curve up:
He smiled and shook my hand.
When he smiled at me I knew everything was all right.
Esme's so cheerful - she's always smiling.
I couldn't help smiling when I thought of how pleased she was going to be.
He smiled politely as Mary apologized for her drunken friends.
He smiled to himself as he thought about his new girlfriend.
He smiled the smile of a man who knew victory was within reach.
[ T ] to express or say something with a smile:
He smiled his congratulations and left without another word.
"Don't you worry about a thing. Everything's going to be just fine," smiled Robin reassuringly.
More examples
- She smiled affectionately at him.
- My mother smiled encouragingly at me as I went up on stage.
- He smiled fondly at the children.
- She looked up from her book and smiled at me.
- He smiled at me in a reassuring way.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Laughing and smiling
- amused
- be all smiles idiom
- be in convulsions idiom
- be rolling in the aisles idiom
- be wreathed in smiles idiom
- beam
- bust
- gale
- gales of laughter idiom
- giggle
- giggler
- giggly
- grin
- say cheese idiom
- simper
- smiley
- smiling
- smilingly
- smirk
- stitch
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Phrasal verb(s)
smile on sth/sb