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
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
Panish replayed for jurors testimony from Grossman’s daughter that, soon after the collision, Erickson arrived at the house smelling of alcohol.
—
Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2026
In the bathrooms there are fluffy robes, cool-white marble and delicious-smelling Memo Paris bath products (the luxury perfume house was co-founded by a Tipperary man and now has a store on rue Cambon in Paris opposite Chanel).
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Waitress clothes in a fish-smelling heap.
—Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Use reed diffusers or room sprays to keep your bathroom smelling fresh without constant cleaning.
—Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 31 May 2026
The organic components immediately begin working and keep the bathroom from smelling afterward.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Designed specifically for active days and warm-weather destinations, this innovative dry shampoo helps keep hair looking and smelling fresh long after styling.
—Corein Carter, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
One of the latest challenges is hydrogen sulfide – a foul-smelling gas given off by decomposing bat droppings inside the chamber, that caused some crew members to faint, Kengkad told CNN.
—Kocha Olarn, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
That species, while not venomous, often bites and defecates a foul-smelling musk when handled.
—John Wilkerson, STAT, 28 May 2026
Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2026
In the bathrooms there are fluffy robes, cool-white marble and delicious-smelling Memo Paris bath products (the luxury perfume house was co-founded by a Tipperary man and now has a store on rue Cambon in Paris opposite Chanel).
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Waitress clothes in a fish-smelling heap.
—Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Use reed diffusers or room sprays to keep your bathroom smelling fresh without constant cleaning.
—Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 31 May 2026
The organic components immediately begin working and keep the bathroom from smelling afterward.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Designed specifically for active days and warm-weather destinations, this innovative dry shampoo helps keep hair looking and smelling fresh long after styling.
—Corein Carter, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
One of the latest challenges is hydrogen sulfide – a foul-smelling gas given off by decomposing bat droppings inside the chamber, that caused some crew members to faint, Kengkad told CNN.
—Kocha Olarn, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
That species, while not venomous, often bites and defecates a foul-smelling musk when handled.
—John Wilkerson, STAT, 28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelling
Verb
-
The Pelicans just played a season with their current core and won 26 games, putting them miles away from even sniffing postseason play.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
-
Security was beefed up at the hall, with guards and metal detectors stationed at every entrance and explosive-sniffing dogs patrolling the hallways.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The Brazilian, however, did it in style as the crowd started to back his effort while sensing the possibility of an epic comeback.—
Thomas Schlachter,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
-
Scientists have long known that migrating birds and homing pigeons navigate in part by sensing the Earth’s magnetic fields, especially at night or in overcast conditions when visual landmarks or sunshine are in short supply.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The norm of planning a hangout is too often a long, soul-sucking scheduling thread.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
-
Although aphids have a reputation for being harmful, sap-sucking pests that wreak havoc on the garden, these insects aren't always a bad thing.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Take 30 to 40 deep cyclical breaths, inhaling fully into the belly and chest, exhaling without force.—
Allison Palmer,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2026
-
People typically become infected with the virus by inhaling microscopic particles from these rodents' urine, feces or saliva, according to Stanford Health.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Now, three days later, atop Jelm Mountain with The Wyoming Infared Observatory (WIRO) at my back, my eyes are feeling better.—
Alexandra Oliva
June 1,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
-
The Destroyer simply lacked the magic and ambition of the original, feeling light and camp instead of serious and epic.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Both teams are looking for a healthy seven-game series, but the Knicks seeing their best scorer heading off the court early isn't the way the Eastern Conference champions wanted to kick off their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999 against these same Spurs.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
What stayed with me most was seeing how much children respond to even the smallest acts of kindness.—
Brittany Talarico,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Perhaps alarmingly, the city’s air defenses appeared to be less active during the final wave of Russian strikes on Tuesday morning, with CNN producers hearing ongoing explosions, but not the sound of counter-systems firing.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
In the months leading up to the election, city leaders voted to host a special election and placed a moratorium on future data center proposals after hearing residents' concerns.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
According to the Irvine Police Department, Chen installed cameras in their family's home after noticing a change of flavor in his drink and feeling ill for weeks.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
-
After applying to more than 3,000 jobs and internships over his time in school, the 23-year-old began noticing employers were no longer asking only for traditional computer science skills.—
Lisa Chambers,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelling. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
