sneered; sneering; sneers
1
: to smile or laugh with facial contortions that express scorn or contempt
2
: to speak or write in a scornfully jeering manner
: to utter with a sneer
sneerer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of sneer in a Sentence
Verb
“You obviously don't know what you're talking about,” she sneered.
they brushed off his sneer and went about their business
Noun
She looked at me with a sneer of disgust.
“They're paranoid,” he said with a sneer.
The novel elicited sneers from the critics.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024
One memorable scene, in which Tom Hanks’s ornery coach Jimmy Dugan throws a baseball mitt at a sneering Stilwell, proved particularly difficult.
—John Russell, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 28 Aug. 2024
Mazzoli piles unstable harmonies on top of that fractured foundation; trombone glissandos add a demonic sneer.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sneer 
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.
Verb
Aren’t the most interesting people the ones who can’t make up their minds about their world, who sometimes sneer and sometimes grovel?
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024
One memorable scene, in which Tom Hanks’s ornery coach Jimmy Dugan throws a baseball mitt at a sneering Stilwell, proved particularly difficult.
—John Russell, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
Noun
The Wilfried Zaha mural at Selhurst Park (The Athletic)
What has never changed are the gripes and sneers that have attached themselves to this part of SE25, in the London borough of Croydon, for longer than Palace fans would probably wish to remember.
—Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 28 Aug. 2024
Mazzoli piles unstable harmonies on top of that fractured foundation; trombone glissandos add a demonic sneer.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sneer
Dictionary Entries Near sneer
Cite this Entry
“Sneer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sneer. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sneer
1 of 2 verb1
: to smile or laugh with expressions of scorn
2
: to speak or write in a scorning manner
sneerer
noun
sneer
2 of 2 noun
: a sneering expression or remark
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share