Adjective Poodles are said to be smart dogs. That was a smart investment. He gave her a smart answer. Verb Her eyes were smarting from the smoke. the injection only smarted for a moment Noun the toddler was whining over the smart from the cut she had the smarts to start college at age 16, but perhaps not the emotional maturity Adverb He plays smart and the fans appreciate that. I dress smarter than she does. Play it smart during the contract negotiations and you'll get more vacation time.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

None of these efforts are particularly smart or clever. Nick Martin, The New Republic, "The New York Times Discovers a Manhattan Makeover for Nu-Tenant Farming," 11 Sep. 2020

If that does turn out to be the case, the Swedish approach to COVID-19 will be looking very smart indeed, and those who pushed for (or enforced) prolonged and destructive lockdowns will have a lot of explaining to do. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, "The Capital Letter: Week of September 7," 11 Sep. 2020

Unfortunately, the Huracán's seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission still isn't smart enough not to upshift at corner entry, even in Sport mode. Scott Oldham, Car and Driver, "2020 Lamborghini Huracán Evo RWD Trades Traction for Entertainment," 10 Sep. 2020

Those on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 are tapping into the reality that none of us is as smart as all of us. Rob Bernshteyn, Fortune, "The race for a COVID-19 vaccine shows the power of ‘community intelligence’," 9 Sep. 2020

Coach Satterfield is a tremendous coach and very, very smart football coach. Dominique Yates, The Courier-Journal, "What Western Kentucky is saying about Louisville football before Saturday's matchup," 8 Sep. 2020

Nothing of the kind happens here: Mr. McSweeny not only trusts the text but takes it for granted that his audiences are smart enough to connect the dots. Terry Teachout, WSJ, "‘Othello’ Review: A Work of Fitting Gravity," 3 Sep. 2020

Between the purple prose and the lack of context, Cousins’ narration often sounds like a take-home exam written at the very last minute by a very smart student hoping the abundance of poetry will make up for the lack of everything else. San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: New Turner Classic Movies series on female filmmakers is too much and not enough," 28 Aug. 2020

Joe Biden said poor kids can be just as smart as white kids. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, "Full text: Nikki Haley, Tim Scott close out first night of Republican National Convention," 25 Aug. 2020

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Some were still smarting from last year's 21-14 loss to Pickerington Central while some were making post-workout pool plans in 6-foot socially distant shouts. Scott Springer, Cincinnati.com, "State runner-up Elder football back on the field for preliminary OHSAA-approved workouts," 27 May 2020

Schools are already smarting financially from losing out on NCAA Tournament revenues from the winter season. Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Can we really expect college football to start on time in the fall? Here's what national experts are saying," 5 May 2020

Most Democratic Senators, still smarting over losing the Scalia seat from Merrick Garland, and understandably so, and concerned about the conservative tilt of the court, and understandably so, were ready to vote against Kavanaugh on the merits. Hope Reese, Longreads, "‘They Were Growing Seedlings…Which Would Sprout To Become Supreme Court Justices’," 18 Dec. 2019

Just about anything with network connectivity belongs to the internet of things, from security cameras and speakers to smart watches and denim jackets. Arielle Pardes, Wired, "The WIRED Guide to the Internet of Things," 10 Feb. 2020

Joe Biden, smarting from a poor performance in Iowa, unleashed on his rivals for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination in a way he's been hesitant to do before. Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner, "Biden dings Sanders as a socialist and warns he'll hurt down-ballot races," 5 Feb. 2020

Both parties are smarting from the general election results. The Economist, "The prospects for reviving Northern Ireland’s government," 9 Jan. 2020

Here are this week’s predictions: Davidson (2-5) at Theodore (6-1): Bobcats will be smarting a bit after last week’s loss at No. 2 McGill-Toolen. Ben Thomas | Bthomas@al.com, al, "Coastal Week 9 Predictions: 4 Mobile teams chasing unbeaten seasons," 15 Oct. 2019

The slow start had a Kentucky fan base still smarting from the Tennessee game and a shocking basketball loss to Evansville Tuesday in meltdown mode. Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky football pounds its way to 401 rushing yards in win over Vanderbilt," 16 Nov. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Now, with Democrats running to deny Trump a second term, on a ticket to be headed by former Vice President Joe Biden, a great debate rages in the party over the extent of Trump's political smarts and acumen. Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner, "After 2016 shock, Democrats scared of their own shadow in facing Trump," 29 Apr. 2020

Under the hood, Apple has stuffed the computing smarts of its flagship 6.1-inch iPhone 11 into the SE's 4.7-inch body, making it arguably the most powerful budget device on the market. Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN, "The new budget iPhone SE is the right phone for an uncertain time," 25 Apr. 2020

It’s packed full of smarts, as well as being a fount of worthwhile clicks. Chris Stanford, New York Times, "Coronavirus, Antibody Tests, Nova Scotia: Your Monday Briefing," 20 Apr. 2020

Meanwhile, as the seams of the Samos refugee camp burst at the edges, ordinary children demonstrate a level of smarts and resilience beyond their years. Katy Fallon, Fortune, "Europe’s refugee crisis is getting worse—for these children," 1 Feb. 2020

Two major stereotypes in sports are African-Americans rely mostly on athletic ability and white players get by on their smarts and hard work. Duane Rankin, azcentral, "Steve Nash way more than 'crafty' in becoming one of the game's best ever," 8 May 2020

In Episode 4, the two swear words Michael Jordan thought of when talking about his first impressions of the triangle offense are revealed — but Jackson handled that too because of his smarts and authenticity. Los Angeles Times, "It’s ‘vintage’ Phil Jackson and the Dennis Rodman experience in ‘The Last Dance’," 25 Apr. 2020

But the former real estate mogul and reality TV star, who prides himself on his business smarts, now presides over an economy in which 22 million people last month applied for unemployment benefits, a record high. Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner, "Democratic election chances rest on cratering economy," 17 Apr. 2020

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

There’s nothing little about this 3,700-acre warbler trap, where birders have spotted more than 30 species of migrating songbirds this year, including American redstarts, so smart-looking in their little orange-and-black suits. Sadie Dingfelder, Washington Post, "During the pandemic, the popularity of birdwatching is soaring. Here’s what you need to know to tune in to the feathered soap opera outside your window.," 26 Aug. 2020

Online retailers like Pottery Barn Kids, Ikea and Amazon are selling everything from utility carts to contain at-home school supplies, to smart-looking kid-size desks and corner desks, which work well in tight quarters. Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, "What you need to know about heading back to school, from pre-K to college," 17 Aug. 2020

But the combination of huge torque and a smart-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission means there's no need to work the engine to 6500 rpm to experience uncomfortable levels of acceleration. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, "2021 Alpina XB7 Throws a Three-Ton Haymaker," 10 July 2020

The sophisticated, ultra-modern interior features smart recessed lighting throughout the first floor, which illuminates and accentuates every intriguing architectural angle. Darla Guillen Gilthorpe, Houston Chronicle, "$5M Lake Houston-area Huffman home features volleyball court, vast acreage," 24 Feb. 2020

The Colorado staff has been smart in moving him up all over the field to get the ball in his hands, even playing him as a Wildcat quarterback at times. Jeff Bailey, The Denver Post, "2020 NFL mock draft — where will CU Buffs WR Laviska Shenault land?," 4 Dec. 2019

All this talk about getting smart and standing up to immigrants is a giant con. William Saletan, Slate Magazine, "How Russia exploits American racism and xenophobia for its own gain.," 31 Mar. 2017

Adams, son of the second president, and sixth president himself, was smart, omnivorous, observant, bitchy, and hilarious (though always unintentionally). Nr Symposium, National Review, "It’s Summer, Time to Catch Up on Your Reading — A Symposium," 31 July 2017

Work hard and smart now as this cycle of high dynamics won’t last forever. Jeraldine Saunders, The Mercury News, "Horoscope: March 29, 2017," 29 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'smart.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.