1
as in sniffing
to become aware of by means of the sense organs in the nose
we smelled the aroma of freshly baked cookies as soon as we walked in the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in sensing
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 smelling
Washing clothes inside out also helps to eliminate body soil build up, leaving fabrics cleaner and smelling fresher.
—
Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Nov. 2025
SulfurSolve aims to play a central role in transforming a deadly, foul-smelling fuel into usable resources.
—Sixteen Ramos, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
Baking soda, a few drops of essential oils (like lavender, rosemary, or citrus), and a bit of dish soap can leave your sink sparkling and smelling perfectly fresh.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025
Packaged in a giftable blue box, the scrumptious-smelling votives have a six-hour burn time and will make any space feel as warm and inviting as the popular bakery.
—Mark Marino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Oct. 2025
Popping into a camp full of allies newly wary of the 428-year-old vampire in their midst, Regis begins by clearing up the misconception that he can be repelled by garlic, then drops a line about Jaskier’s blood smelling good.
—Scott Meslow, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Passengers and crew members often describe the fumes as smelling like dirty socks.
—Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2025
Your body gets hunger signals from seeing and smelling food.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 26 Oct. 2025
The woman’s husband, a scrawny man in a shabby work uniform, smelling of sewage, drooped behind the gurney.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Nov. 2025
SulfurSolve aims to play a central role in transforming a deadly, foul-smelling fuel into usable resources.
—Sixteen Ramos, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
Baking soda, a few drops of essential oils (like lavender, rosemary, or citrus), and a bit of dish soap can leave your sink sparkling and smelling perfectly fresh.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025
Packaged in a giftable blue box, the scrumptious-smelling votives have a six-hour burn time and will make any space feel as warm and inviting as the popular bakery.
—Mark Marino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Oct. 2025
Popping into a camp full of allies newly wary of the 428-year-old vampire in their midst, Regis begins by clearing up the misconception that he can be repelled by garlic, then drops a line about Jaskier’s blood smelling good.
—Scott Meslow, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Passengers and crew members often describe the fumes as smelling like dirty socks.
—Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2025
Your body gets hunger signals from seeing and smelling food.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 26 Oct. 2025
The woman’s husband, a scrawny man in a shabby work uniform, smelling of sewage, drooped behind the gurney.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelling
Verb
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As soon as Rusty came into the park, the two friends went about their day, sniffing the ground and following each other around.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Nov. 2025
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Common signals include sniffing, circling, squatting, or whining.—
Madeline Gunderson,
USA Today,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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These would harness imaging or sensing satellites equipped with AI accelerators to process raw data in orbit.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Oct. 2025
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But after a rare miss on his first attempt, the volume briefly doubled, Minnesotans sensing a silver lining at the end of a loss.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One day, the script said that Marietta gets in bed, curls up with her baby dog, and is sucking her thumb.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
3 Nov. 2025
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Research has consistently condemned PE firms for buying up hospitals and sucking staff and patients dry.—
Alexis Kayser,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia — fear of long words (The longest word found in major English dictionaries is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, a 45-letter word describing a lung disease caused by inhaling fine silica dust.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Oct. 2025
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Essential oils can be used in various ways, such as inhaling them through a diffuser or applying a diluted solution to the skin.—
Emily Brown,
Verywell Health,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Mental health and immune response are affected by how animals are feeling—and, as the rash of stereotypies suggests, captive animals are not feeling well.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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Though the Raiders’ 30-29 overtime defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars represented progress, given that Las Vegas was coming off one of the most flaccid offensive performances of the 21st century, Sunday’s unhappy ending left those shedding silver-and-black uniforms feeling empty.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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What airports are seeing flight cancellations?—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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Polls show that economic impacts are driving the voting bloc the most and Latino businesses across the country, from Miami to Los Angeles, are seeing a drop in foot traffic because of ICE agents targeting their communities.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Long before making music of his own, Harper spent time consuming the works of his famous relatives and hearing about their times in the studio and on the road.—
Jack Irvin,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
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But after hearing her story, an NPR listener reached out and paid her overdue balance.—
NPR,
NPR,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Harvey brings a distinctive approach to the nuclear narrative, one shaped by childhood memories of hearing about French President Jacques Chirac and the Rainbow Warrior bombing, but noticing the absence of First Nations voices in those stories.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
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Humans are inherently quite good at noticing changes in other people’s expressions.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelling. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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