sneer
noun/snɪə(r)/
/snɪr/
[usually singular]- an unpleasant look, smile or comment that shows you do not respect somebody/something
- ‘And who are you, then?’ he asked with a sneer in his voice.
- A faint sneer of satisfaction crossed her face.
Extra ExamplesTopics Appearancec2- Her lips twisted into a sneer.
- The prime minister resisted a sneer at his opponent's misfortune.
- The smile slowly turned into a sneer.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- arrogant
- faint
- slight
- …
- give
- curl into
- turn into
- …
- with a sneer
- a sneer in your voice
- a sneer on somebody’s face
Word Originlate Middle English: probably of imitative origin.Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
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sneer