Smart
/smɑːrt/
Definitions
4 meaningsHaving or showing a quick-witted intelligence.
/smɑːrt/
Intelligent
The smart dog quickly learned the new trick.
💡 Simply: Being super clever, like knowing the answers to all the questions or coming up with great ideas quickly. Like a superhero of thinking!
👶 For kids: When you are good at thinking and learning, you are smart.
More Examples
He made a smart choice by investing in that company.
She gave a smart answer during the debate.
How It's Used
"She is a smart student who consistently earns top grades."
"Smart devices are changing the way we live."
Fashionable and stylish in appearance.
/smɑːrt/
Fashionable or stylish
He looked smart in his new suit.
💡 Simply: Looking good! Like dressing up in a really cool outfit that makes you feel confident.
👶 For kids: When you look nice and neat in your clothes, you are smart.
More Examples
The restaurant had a smart, modern design.
She chose a smart color scheme for her living room.
How It's Used
"She wore a smart dress to the party."
"They looked smart for the formal dinner."
(Of a physical sensation) causing a sharp stinging pain.
/smɑːrt/
Causing a sharp stinging pain
The antiseptic made the cut smart.
💡 Simply: Ouch! This means something makes your skin feel like it's burning or stinging, like when you get a little soap in your eyes.
👶 For kids: When something hurts or stings a little, like when you put hand sanitizer on a cut, it's smart.
More Examples
His grazed knee smarted when he tried to walk.
My eyes smarted from the strong wind.
How It's Used
"The wound smarted for hours."
"The soap made my eyes smart."
To cause or feel a sharp stinging pain.
/smɑːrt/
To cause a sharp stinging pain.
The salt water smarted the cut.
💡 Simply: If something *smarts*, it's like a little ouch! You can feel it, like when you get something in your eye.
👶 For kids: When something makes you feel a little hurt or sting, it smarts.
More Examples
Her eyes smarted from the smoke.
The medicine made his throat smart.
How It's Used
"The disinfectant will smart, but it will also clean the wound."
"My eyes smart when I chop onions."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Idioms & expressions
smart cookie
A clever and quick-witted person.
"She is a smart cookie, always getting good grades."
smart money
Money used or invested by experts.
"Smart money is betting on the new technology."
From Old English *smeart*, meaning 'smarting, stinging, painful'; akin to Dutch *smerten*, German *schmerzen*, and Old Norse *smerta*. Evolved to mean quick-witted, intelligent, and fashionable over time.
Historically, 'smart' was primarily used to describe physical sensations of pain or stinging. The meaning of intelligence evolved later.
Memory tip
Think of someone who uses their BRAIN to make SMART decisions. (B= Brain, SMART = decisions)
Word Origin
"smarting, stinging"