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
So, clean your garbage disposal once a month to have a fully performing appliance in a fresh smelling sink.
—
Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
Rosemary Rosemary is a pleasant-smelling herb that’s a staple in kitchens worldwide.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 30 Sep. 2025
Then my nose, feeling air go in and out and smelling the aroma of my room.
—Jack Korngold, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Super showed the lowest concentrations and came out smelling fresh.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2025
Picture someone draped in beaver fur, smelling of beaver.
—Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
Add water while cooking cruciferous vegetable and strong smelling sulfur is released.
—Sheah Rarback, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Eggo waffles now come with more protein, Shark's launched a new cordless cleaner and Gain's got new scent boosters to keep your laundry smelling fresh.
—Adam Mills, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
For example, smelling a tube of sunscreen and feeling the grit of sand might trigger memories and lead to a discussion of past beach vacations.
—Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 17 Sep. 2025
Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
Rosemary Rosemary is a pleasant-smelling herb that’s a staple in kitchens worldwide.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 30 Sep. 2025
Then my nose, feeling air go in and out and smelling the aroma of my room.
—Jack Korngold, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Super showed the lowest concentrations and came out smelling fresh.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2025
Picture someone draped in beaver fur, smelling of beaver.
—Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
Add water while cooking cruciferous vegetable and strong smelling sulfur is released.
—Sheah Rarback, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Eggo waffles now come with more protein, Shark's launched a new cordless cleaner and Gain's got new scent boosters to keep your laundry smelling fresh.
—Adam Mills, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
For example, smelling a tube of sunscreen and feeling the grit of sand might trigger memories and lead to a discussion of past beach vacations.
—Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelling
Verb
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His boss seems unusually chill with the deception, mostly because this lad might be helpful for sniffing out other moles and double agents in their field.—
Vulture Editors,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
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During their stay, according to family members and personal notes, the stepdaughter, by then 14, walked in on Errol in her room allegedly sniffing her dirty underwear.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And as the race entered its final 10 laps, Norris finally got close enough to put pressure on Verstappen, sensing the opportunity to overtake though the Dutch driver ultimately found enough to fend him off.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
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Scientists in Austria and France have developed a new imaging method that can reveal objects hidden behind opaque materials such as sand, fog, or even human tissue, potentially opening new frontiers in medical diagnostics and sensing technologies.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Once you’re done sucking away all that excess hair, use the detachable clipper to trim the hair without being tethered by a cord.—
Christine Persaud,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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Since then, the Internet has gone about its immemorial business of destroying all incumbent forms of media; not content with vampirizing print, the digital space began sucking the life from pay-TV a dozen years ago.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Simply inhaling for four counts and exhaling for four counts brings oxygen to your muscles, reducing the emotion's intensity and relaxing the body.—
Juli Fraga,
CNBC,
24 Sep. 2025
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In particular, inhaling Aspergillus fumigatus can cause serious lung problems, including invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, aspergilloma, allergic asthma, pneumonitis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Wentland attended both of Alverno’s information sessions about the sale but left feeling her concerns weren’t addressed.—
Gina Lee Castro,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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That included not playing in both sets of a back-to-back and taking some other games off, depending on how his body was feeling or what the schedule looked like.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Several workers have also described seeing a few 20-something, red haired men with a mischievous vibe.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
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The girl also reported seeing inappropriate images on the screensaver of an iPad at Berrelez’s home.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One student whose desk is near the wall, asked to be moved after hearing about Sanford's pickup truck crashing into the church itself.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Staff also report hearing phantom singing in the visitors' area and a mysterious spirit rearranging the coins in the gift shop register.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Signs hint at a seasonal shift Forecasters are noticing early signs that the atmosphere is starting to behave more like fall than summer.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Oct. 2025
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But then, other passengers started noticing him.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelling. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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