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
But Wednesday night, they were handed a harsh lesson from a true contender — one that smelled blood against a team that cowered and played scared to death from the 20-minute mark on.
—
Michael Russo, New York Times, 14 May 2026
The air smelled faintly of lunch and feet.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Matamala had smelled smoke in the air in the early evening; within five hours, flames had reached the house.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
These blooms are loved by babies, smelled by furry friends and bring out suburban neighbors to the city, including Kathy Cooper from Hopkins.
—Marielle Mohs, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
She was reported to have been back at work the next day in clothes that smelled of smoke.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 25 Apr. 2026
Take that time at the 2021 Academy Awards when a reporter asked her what Brad Pitt smelled like.
—Regina Kim, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2026
Water began pouring into David Tahara’s North Park home Tuesday night around midnight, thanks to a late-breaking rainfall and a basement storm drain that smelled of sewage at certain points.
—Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
The house still smelled of timber, paint, concrete dust.
—Kate Crane, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026
Michael Russo, New York Times, 14 May 2026
The air smelled faintly of lunch and feet.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Matamala had smelled smoke in the air in the early evening; within five hours, flames had reached the house.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
These blooms are loved by babies, smelled by furry friends and bring out suburban neighbors to the city, including Kathy Cooper from Hopkins.
—Marielle Mohs, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
She was reported to have been back at work the next day in clothes that smelled of smoke.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 25 Apr. 2026
Take that time at the 2021 Academy Awards when a reporter asked her what Brad Pitt smelled like.
—Regina Kim, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2026
Water began pouring into David Tahara’s North Park home Tuesday night around midnight, thanks to a late-breaking rainfall and a basement storm drain that smelled of sewage at certain points.
—Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
The house still smelled of timber, paint, concrete dust.
—Kate Crane, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelled
Verb
-
Each gin was anonymized before tasters sniffed and then sampled approximately a tablespoon, one after another, sometimes going back to retaste particularly complex entries.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 May 2026
-
Jokic has never sniffed an All-Defensive Team as a center.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
But as those stars retired and younger drivers arrived, Hamlin sensed something missing.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
When softball season resumed, head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez sensed that the sport that had once consumed so much of Grant’s emotional oxygen suddenly felt lighter in her arms.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play a pair of ordinary police officers who get sucked into a crazy case involving multiple murders in their small English town.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
11 May 2026
-
Opta’s supercomputer has stayed strong on the current projections for Leeds and Forest, with their respective victories last weekend suggesting that something cataclysmic would need to happen for them to get sucked back into a relegation fight.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Rather than burn tobacco, e-cigarettes heat up a liquid consisting of nicotine, flavorings and additives that are inhaled as vapor.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
-
They’re spread primarily when droppings, urine or saliva get kicked into the air and inhaled — such as when sweeping up mouse droppings.—
Allison Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Murphy, meanwhile, felt the combine was big for uncommitted players like Durkin.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
Amar felt something more foreboding.—
Annie Hylton,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Moving a blade back and forth to try to saw biscuits apart will make their layers stick (and ruin the rise).—
Ella Quittner,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Ruggeri says that, in comparison to saw palmetto, which gets far more attention.—
Adam Hurly,
Robb Report,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The interaction was captured on camera, and Crow-Armstrong could be heard very clearly.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
-
Murdaugh's defense claimed that Hill influenced the verdict through remarks heard by some jurors during the trial, including in one instance to watch Murdaugh's body language during his testimony, according to court filings.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Kuo showed off her ice-queen garb and noticed a friend in the corner.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
DeLuz noticed the Democrats becoming more combative, taking shots at Becerra during the last two debates as the former state attorney general is now considered the party's frontrunner.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelled. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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