Word forms: comparative smarter, superlative smartest, 3rd person singular presenttense smarts, present participle smarting, past tense, past participle smarted
1. adjective
Smart people and things are pleasantly neat and clean in appearance.
[mainly British]
He was smart and well groomed but not good looking.
I was dressed in a smart navy blue suit.
...smart new offices.
Synonyms: chic, trim, neat, fashionable More Synonyms of smart
smartlyadverb [ADVERB with verb]
He dressed very smartly which was important in those days.
...a smartly-painted door.
smartnessuncountable noun
The jumper strikes the perfect balance between comfort and smartness.
2. adjective
You can describe someone who is clever as smart.
He thinks he's smarter than Sarah is.
Buying expensive furniture is not necessarily the smartest move to make.
Synonyms: clever, bright, intelligent, quick More Synonyms of smart
3. See also smartly, street smart
4. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A smart place or event is connected with wealthy and fashionable people.
...smart London dinner parties.
...a smart residential district.
5. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Smart bombs and weapons are guided by computers and lasers so that they hit their targets accurately.
6. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A smart device is able to do many of the things that a computer does, for example to connectto the internet and use software.
Wirelessly linked to an internet-connected smart TV, the phone becomes a remote control.
7. verb
If a part of your body or a wound smarts, you feel a sharp stinging pain in it.
My eyes smarted from the smoke. [VERB]
Synonyms: sting, burn, tingle, pain More Synonyms of smart
8. verb [usually cont]
If you are smartingfrom something such as criticism or failure, you feel upset about it.
[journalism]
Wilder is still smarting from a 3-0 defeat the last time the teams met. [VERB + from]
He is still smarting over criticism of his victorious but clumsy performance. [VERB preposition]
Synonyms: feel resentful, feel annoyed, feel offended, feel wounded More Synonyms of smart
9.
See the smart set
10. the smart money
More Synonyms of smart
smart in British English
(smɑːt)
adjective
1.
astute, as in business; clever or bright
2.
quick, witty, and often impertinent in speech
a smart talker
3.
fashionable; chic
a smart hotel
4.
well-kept; neat
5.
causing a sharp stinging pain
6.
vigorous or brisk
7. dialect
considerable or numerous
a smart price
8.
(of systems) operating as if by human intelligence by using automatic computer control
9. (of an electronic device)
using digital communication technology to provide many of the functions of a computer, esp internet access and social networking apps
smart phone
10.
(of a projectile or bomb) containing a device that allows it to be guided to its target
verb(mainly intr)
11.
to feel, cause, or be the source of a sharp stinging physical pain or keen mental distress
a nettle sting smarts
he smarted under their abuse
12. (often foll by for)
to suffer a harsh penalty
noun
13.
a stinging pain or feeling
adverb
14.
in a smart manner
Derived forms
smartish (ˈsmartish)
adjective
smartly (ˈsmartly)
adverb
smartness (ˈsmartness)
noun
Word origin
Old English smeortan; related to Old High German smerzan, Latin mordēre to bite, Greek smerdnos terrible
Smart in British English
(smɑːt)
noun
Christopher. 1722–71, British poet, author of A Song to David (1763) and Jubilate Agno (written 1758–63, published 1939). He was confined (1756–63) for religious mania and died in a debtors' prison
SMART in British English
(smɑːt)
acronym for
specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely: criteria used in business to devise an employee's performance targets
Smart in American English
(smɑrt)
Christopher1722-71; Eng. poet
smart in American English
(smɑrt)
verb intransitive
1.
a.
to cause sharp, stinging pain, as a slap
b.
to be the source of such pain, as a wound
c.
to feel such pain
2.
to feel mental distress or irritation, as in resentment, remorse, etc.
verb transitive
3.
to cause to smart
noun
4.
a smarting sensation, pain or distress
5. US; [pl.]; Slang
shrewdness, intelligence, or acumen
adjective
6.
causing sharp or stinging pain
a smart slap
7.
sharp or stinging, as pain
8.
brisk; vigorous; lively
walking at a smart pace
9.
a.
intelligent, alert, clever, witty, etc.
b.
shrewd or sharp, as in one's dealings
10.
neat; trim; spruce
11.
a.
in keeping with the current fashion; stylish
b.
characteristic of or used by those who follow the current fashions
aimed, guided, and controlled precisely, through the use of computer technology
smart weapons
c.
programmed in advance with certain features, as navigation information or sensing and self-correcting functions
smart cars, smart guns
adverb
15.
in a smart way
SIMILAR WORDS: inˈtelligent
Idioms:
smart off
Derived forms
smartly (ˈsmartly)
adverb
smartness (ˈsmartness)
noun
Word origin
ME smerten < OE smeortan, akin to Ger schmerzen < IE *mer-d < base *mer-, to rub away, fret > L mordere, to bite, sting, Gr smerdnos, frightful
More idioms containing
smart
a smart cookie
a smart alec
the smart money
Examples of 'smart' in a sentence
smart
She was also very funny and very smart.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You are smarter about love and see that a flirty friendship can become so much more.
The Sun (2012)
The purchase of woodland can be a smart financial move.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
They were incredibly smart people who understood the importance of symbols.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This is a superb programme that makes you feel smarter for just having watched it.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
You have the best ideas but it is smart to make others feel their views count.
The Sun (2006)
You have the smartest ideas plus the ability to solve problems that baffle other people.
The Sun (2013)
The challenge instead is to amplify the minimum wage in smart new ways.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
You can also listen on smart mobile phones or those new internet radios.
The Sun (2009)
Those with smart meters are already seeing reductions in energy consumption.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The café is smart and clean with a varied range of dishes suitable for vegetarians.
Brown, Sarah Sarah Brown's Vegetarian London (1988)
We aim to be sharper and smarter.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
You will get smart with your heart and make good love choices.
The Sun (2009)
Where smart technology really comes into its own is in improving home security.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
You can wear them with smart clothes and you can wear them with a suit.
The Sun (2014)
She is smart and funny and knows her stuff.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Next season is all about conventionally smart classics.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It would have been a much smarter move than trying to make herself heard.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There are people who are smarter than me.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They are a way to stay close to what smart people are feeling.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It should be chic and smart.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He is still smarting about it.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
A jumpsuit is a good bet if you want to look smart but fashionable.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
STILL smarting from final defeat last term.
The Sun (2012)
It's a smart, chic alternative to that same old boxy jacket.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In other languages
smart
British English: smart /smɑːt/ ADJECTIVE
Smart people and things are pleasantly neat and clean in appearance.
I wore a black dress and looked very smart.
American English: smart
Arabic: ذَكِيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: elegante
Chinese: 聪明的
Croatian: elegantan
Czech: upravený hezký
Danish: kvik
Dutch: chic
European Spanish: elegante
Finnish: huoliteltu
French: élégant
German: schick
Greek: ευφυής
Italian: intelligente
Japanese: スマートな
Korean: 말쑥한
Norwegian: smart
Polish: inteligentny
European Portuguese: elegante
Romanian: elegant
Russian: умный
Latin American Spanish: elegante
Swedish: stilig
Thai: สะอาดและประณีต
Turkish: şık
Ukrainian: чепурний
Vietnamese: bảnh bao
British English: smart VERB
If a part of your body or a wound smarts, you feel a sharp stinging pain in it.
My eyes smarted from the smoke.
American English: smart
Brazilian Portuguese: sofrer
Chinese: 刺痛身体某部位或伤口
European Spanish: escocer
French: faire mal
German: brennen
Italian: bruciare
Japanese: ずきずき痛む
Korean: 몸이 쑤시다
European Portuguese: sofrer
Latin American Spanish: arder
All related terms of 'smart'
smart ass
If you describe someone as a smart ass , you dislike the fact that they think they are very clever and like to show everyone this.
smart box
any of various electronic devices that receive , process, and transmit information
smart off
to be impertinent or flippant
smart set
fashionable sophisticated people considered as a group
smart alec
If you describe someone as a smart alec , you dislike the fact that they think they are very clever and always have an answer for everything.
smart aleck
an irritatingly oversmart person
smart arse
If you describe someone as a smart arse , you dislike the fact that they think they are very clever and like to show everyone this.
Smart Board
a large touch-sensitive board connected to a computer and a digital projector , used for teaching in the classroom
smart bomb
a bomb that contains a device that allows it to be guided to its target
smart card
A smart card is a plastic card which looks like a credit card and can store and process computer data.
smart cart
a shopping trolley that uses computer and radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to assist the shopper in various ways, such as giving the exact location of items on a pre-entered list, suggesting alternative products, and giving information about discounted items on nearby shelves , and a running total of the price of its contents
smart drink
a nonalcoholic drink , with a base such as fruit juice , containing one or more smart drugs
smart drug
Smart drugs are drugs which some people think can improve your memory and intelligence.
smart dust
a network of tiny autonomous devices embedded in everyday objects or sprinkled on the ground, able to communicate using wireless links
smart home
a dwelling equipped with systems and appliances that can be operated remotely using a computer or mobile phone
smart money
money bet or invested by experienced gamblers or investors, esp with inside information
smart phone
A smart phone is a type of mobile phone that can perform many of the operations that a computer does, such as accessing the internet .
smart well
A smart well is a well which has equipment that can be controlled either automatically or by an operator at a remote location .
smart wool
a textile produced by blending wool with a conductive fibre, which can be heated by means of a small battery
whip-smart
extremely clever
energy-smart
using electrical power in an efficient or economical way
smart casual
(of clothes ) neat but informal in style, esp as worn to follow a particular dress code
smart device
A device is an object that has been invented for a particular purpose, for example for recording or measuring something.
smart growth
People such as architects and environmentalists use smart growth to refer to the construction of new buildings and roads within a town or city so that they are close to people's workplaces and mass transit systems and so that open spaces are not built on.
smart speaker
A smart speaker is a wireless electronic device that can respond to spoken commands, for example by giving information or playing music.
street-smart
Someone who is street smart knows how to deal with difficult or dangerous situations, especially in big cities.
a smart alec
someone who thinks they are very clever and has an answer for everything
smart sanction
a sanction intended to affect only a particular area of a country's activities or economy
a smart cookie
a clever person who has good ideas
smart restaurant
A restaurant is a place where you can eat a meal and pay for it. In restaurants your food is usually served to you at your table by a waiter or waitress .
smart technology
Technology refers to methods, systems, and devices which are the result of scientific knowledge being used for practical purposes.
the smart set
The smart set is a group of fashionable and wealthy people.
the smart money
If you say that the smart money is on a particular person or thing, you mean that people who know a lot about it think that this person will be successful , or this thing will happen .
look sharp
to hurry up; make haste
smartass
a person who is annoyingly or obnoxiously cocky , knowing , flippant , etc.; wiseguy
alec
a herring
intelligent card
a plastic card with integrated circuits used for storing and processing computer data
laser card
a plastic card with integrated circuits used for storing and processing computer data