smelling salts
noun
plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: a usually scented aromatic preparation of ammonium carbonate and ammonia water used as a stimulant and restorative
Examples of smelling salts in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Detroit assistant Ron Rothstein waved smelling salts under Zeke’s nose.
—
Rich Cohen, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2023
Then there's the trend of inhaling smelling salts — popularized on TikTok by a company called Nose Slap — which can be poisonous when done incorrectly or over long periods of time, and the buzzy PRIME energy drink whose caffeine content is equivalent to roughly six Coca-Cola cans.
—Angela Yang, NBC News, 22 July 2023
Clutch your bosom and reach for the smelling salts.
—Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2023
As the small, white coffins were opened, some screamed, while others fainted and were revived with smelling salts.
—Ap, Bloomberg.com, 7 Oct. 2022
Paramedics revived them with smelling salts.
—Tassanee Vejpongsa and David Rising, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2022
Please pass the smelling salts.
—Liana Schaffner, Town & Country, 30 June 2022
Those same highlight reels are short on the tackles that leave ball carriers on the ground in a crumpled heap, or the jarring hits that were often addressed with smelling salts.
—Ken Belson, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2020
Aunt Pittypat’s great-great granchillun have been running around in search of their smelling salts in the wake of the Big Ten’s blockbuster media rights deal.
—Kevin Scarbinski, al, 22 Aug. 2022
Rich Cohen, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2023
Then there's the trend of inhaling smelling salts — popularized on TikTok by a company called Nose Slap — which can be poisonous when done incorrectly or over long periods of time, and the buzzy PRIME energy drink whose caffeine content is equivalent to roughly six Coca-Cola cans.
—Angela Yang, NBC News, 22 July 2023
Clutch your bosom and reach for the smelling salts.
—Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2023
As the small, white coffins were opened, some screamed, while others fainted and were revived with smelling salts.
—Ap, Bloomberg.com, 7 Oct. 2022
Paramedics revived them with smelling salts.
—Tassanee Vejpongsa and David Rising, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2022
Please pass the smelling salts.
—Liana Schaffner, Town & Country, 30 June 2022
Those same highlight reels are short on the tackles that leave ball carriers on the ground in a crumpled heap, or the jarring hits that were often addressed with smelling salts.
—Ken Belson, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2020
Aunt Pittypat’s great-great granchillun have been running around in search of their smelling salts in the wake of the Big Ten’s blockbuster media rights deal.
—Kevin Scarbinski, al, 22 Aug. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smelling salts.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1837, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near smelling salts
Cite this Entry
“Smelling salts.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smelling%20salts. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
smelling salts
noun plural
: a strong-smelling preparation of ammonia in water used to wake someone who has fainted
Medical Definition
smelling salts
noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: a usually scented aromatic preparation of ammonium carbonate and ammonia water used as a stimulant and restorative
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