smelling

verb

present participle of smell
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

Relevance
2
as in sensing
to have a vague awareness of I smell something fishy about this situation

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in sucking
to be objectionable or unsatisfactory that movie smells—I wouldn't waste my money on it if I were you

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smelling This eau de parfum, in particular, balances fruity and floral well—without smelling like your grandma’s perfume that’s been on her vanities for decades. — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 21 July 2026 After a minute or two, a spray of water came from the hole, smelling suspiciously like the Newtown Creek. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026 Ylang-ylang and coconut are carried along on a salty breeze, with a clean-smelling musk drydown. — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 18 July 2026 Some Orange County residents may be smelling smoke early Friday, July 17, without an obvious source. — Paris Barraza, USA Today, 17 July 2026 Grab the $16 find at Target, and silky, fresh-smelling hair awaits. — Claudia Fisher, Parents, 17 July 2026 Similarly, deodorizing products like baking soda and charcoal filters can keep your trash from smelling and ultimately attracting fruit flies, Messenger says. — Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 16 July 2026 Workers inside the CalEPA headquarters reported smelling natural gas on some of the building’s upper floors. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026 The acetic acid in vinegar can break down and dissolve those rings, as well as hard water stains, rust, and limescale, leaving a much cleaner and better-smelling bowl behind. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 15 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelling
  1. sniffing
  2. sensing
  3. sucking
  4. inhaling
  5. feeling
  6. seeing
  7. hearing
  8. noticing
Verb
  • When walking your dog, keep them from sniffing or chewing plants along trails and sidewalks.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2026
  • Supervise pets outdoors, especially in unfamiliar areas, and keep dogs from sniffing or chewing plants on trails and sidewalks.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
Definition of sniffing
Verb
  • The systems are intended to support detection and tracking across a range of threats and missions, strengthening the sensing capabilities available to ships at sea.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 July 2026
  • Researchers have tried to solve this problem by adding separate sensing layers to the grippers, which gives robots a better sense of touch.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 20 July 2026
Definition of sensing
Verb
  • The episode, in addition to being a black eye for one of America’s most reliable corporate numbers-hitters, shows the mad scramble for dollars in the world of AI, which has been a giant sucking sound in the economy for a while now.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 23 July 2026
  • Left unchecked, these sap-sucking pests can quickly weaken tomato plants and reduce your harvest, so early intervention is essential.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 18 July 2026
Definition of sucking
Verb
  • Health effects from inhaling wildfire smoke But the effects are sweeping, said Hayden, who has developed real-time mapping of mortality estimates from wildfire smoke.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 18 July 2026
  • In many cases, people contract the disease by inhaling tiny droplets of contaminated water.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026
Definition of inhaling
Verb
  • Any person in Nathan’s position would be justified in feeling angry, but the fact that the person in question is Nathan — famously an explosive grudge-holder — only makes matters worse.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 21 July 2026
  • Young striker Jayden Danns needs to be assessed after feeling discomfort in his hamstring last week, while Kaide Gordon and Owen Beck are still undergoing rehab following injuries.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of feeling
Verb
  • And that is while seeing a player as precociously gifted as Yamal fast-tracked into the senior squad, a European champion and now a world champion who only turned 19 last week.
    — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Cyclospora cases typically increase in summer, but many states are seeing elevated levels.
    — Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Definition of seeing
Verb
  • Odysseus insisted on hearing their song and was tied to the mast.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
  • Neighbors didn’t recall hearing anything out of the ordinary before the shooting.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 18 July 2026
Definition of hearing
Verb
  • Locations built for children now rival small amusement parks, and families are noticing.
    — Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026
  • The first of its kind, the program was developed by Michele McGeoy, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who became concerned with social justice after noticing that the internet boom had benefited mostly white, educated people.
    — Elena Bou, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of noticing

Browse Nearby Words

smellers
smelling
smelling (of)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Smelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelling. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of smelling for Spanish Speakers

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