smart off

verb

To show disrespect verbally; to smartmouth.

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Meanings

verbsmart off (third-person singular simple present smarts off, present participle smarting off, simple past and past participle smarted off)

present singular third person smarts off · participle present smarting off · participle past smarted off · past smarted off

  1. intransitiveslangTo show disrespect verbally; to smartmouth.

    He despised being away from the rest of the student body and would occasionally act out in defiance by smarting off or by being uncooperative.

    2002, Ken Lockette, "Surviving the Soviet Legacy, in A World of Teaching: Personal Journeys Through the World's English-Speaking Classrooms, eds. John A. Hansen, Evan M. Smith, page 44
    1 more example

    It's not my job to straighten out his every mess, especially since he seems to like playing the wise guy and smarting off every chance he gets.

    2005, Jack Myers, Row House Days: Tales from a Southwest Philadelphia Childhood, page 264
Cite this entry
APA

smart off. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smart%20off

MLA

“smart off.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smart%20off. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “smart off,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smart%20off.

Source: smart off on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.