variants
or chiefly British smelt
1
2
as in sensed
to have a vague awareness of
I smell something fishy about this situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smelled
Everything suddenly smelled like smoke.
—
Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 20 Feb. 2026
Christopher Michael Simpson approached the 10-year-old, removed the victim’s socks and shoes, and smelled the child’s feet before leaving the scene.
—Katie Bourque, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2026
Not romantic on paper, just concrete stairs that smelled like dust, oranges, and old men’s cologne.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Feb. 2026
Against the Patriots in Super Bowl 60, the Seahawks smelled blood in the water.
—Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
From these tiny particles, scientists can determine how the objects may have smelled.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 5 Feb. 2026
The home also smelled of animal urine, documents say.
—Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 2 Feb. 2026
The 31-year-old man, who smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot and watery eyes, failed field sobriety tests and was arrested, the complaint says.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
When Pera hid the small truffle box among low ground plants, sans plastic container, Mochi smelled his way to it there, too.
—Aviva Bechky, Houston Chronicle, 30 Jan. 2026
Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 20 Feb. 2026
Christopher Michael Simpson approached the 10-year-old, removed the victim’s socks and shoes, and smelled the child’s feet before leaving the scene.
—Katie Bourque, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2026
Not romantic on paper, just concrete stairs that smelled like dust, oranges, and old men’s cologne.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Feb. 2026
Against the Patriots in Super Bowl 60, the Seahawks smelled blood in the water.
—Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
From these tiny particles, scientists can determine how the objects may have smelled.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 5 Feb. 2026
The home also smelled of animal urine, documents say.
—Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 2 Feb. 2026
The 31-year-old man, who smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot and watery eyes, failed field sobriety tests and was arrested, the complaint says.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
When Pera hid the small truffle box among low ground plants, sans plastic container, Mochi smelled his way to it there, too.
—Aviva Bechky, Houston Chronicle, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelled
Verb
-
On the next play, Patriots rookie Craig Woodson sniffed out a trick play and dropped the ball carrier on an end around for a loss of five.—
February 9,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The tougher hurdle, historically speaking, is that the Cowboys haven’t sniffed a conference championship game in Dak’s time.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Ukrainians sensed that time was running out.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Horses brought the firefighting apparatus and a big steed, aptly named Goliath, sensed the danger and ran out of the way, not before being injured.—
Jacques Kelly,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Elsewhere, elites are framed as bureaucratic, academic know-it-alls – and get sucked into the culture war in the process.—
Alexa Beck,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
-
These glass valves sucked up power by the hundreds of watts each and pumped out a lot of waste heat.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If inhaled, these fumes can lead to trouble breathing, eye and skin irritation, and in some cases, even death.—
Jan Wagner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
-
These particles can be inhaled and enter the lungs and bloodstream.—
Katey Psencik,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Jackson felt there would not be much improvement in the diversity on the shows in the upcoming fall season.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Duxbury responded with Bryn Martin’s goal on a rebound with 17 seconds left in the first for some momentum, but Milton felt great about its start.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
During the trial, jurors learned about grim Google searches Brian had made after his wife died, including how to saw a body and how to clean blood off of wood floors.—
Nicole Acosta,
PEOPLE,
18 Dec. 2025
-
Fanatics shared the moment Tennessee Titans first overall pick, quarterback Cam Ward, saw Brady pop up on the screen to give him some wise words.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
People block unwanted numbers, and no one under 30 has heard of the White Pages.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
-
He can often be heard on the From Our Own Correspondent programme on the BBC World Service and the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio Two.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Stamos-Buesig in turn noticed problems with the group’s bank records and contacted the district attorney’s office, according to both prosecutors and Stamos-Buesig.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
-
As many fans have noticed, Muffin and all of the kids in the show grow up over time.—
Miranda Rake,
Parents,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelled. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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