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 As the weather warmed, a co-worker mentioned smelling a strong odor coming from near Zelich's car. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026 These shoes even boast a moisture-wicking, anti-odor sock liner to keep them—and your feet—smelling fresh, even after hours of sightseeing. — Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2026 Josh Hartnett plays fisherman Calvin Penney, attempting to harvest blue ice for vodka in the face of declining stocks, but finding his haul smelling strangely of ammonia. — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 The products were Park Hyatt’s usual—delicious-smelling La Labo toiletries. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026 Let this serve as your reminder that a sweet-smelling scented candle makes a lovely present for just about any favorite coworker, significant other, your votive-loving mom, or yourself. — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2026 The 2026 fragrance market is pivoting toward scents built on contrast and tension, where smelling memorable matters more than smelling conventionally beautiful. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026 The day before, air alerts sent the group to this musty-smelling alcove four times in three hours. — Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2026 If garlic or onions regularly leave you smelling off, Cleveland Clinic suggests using them sparingly or swapping in herbs and spices. — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelling
  1. sniffing
  2. sensing
  3. sucking
  4. inhaling
  5. feeling
  6. seeing
  7. hearing
  8. noticing
Verb
  • While exploring the neighborhood, his dog, Betty, took off and sprinted through the open door of an empty house, sniffing around yet completely at ease.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Eventually, Bird’s film — with a script co-written by Matthew Robbins — gets to the meat of the action when Venus’ extremely complicated life runs smack into Ray and his knack for sniffing out bad guys.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of sniffing
Verb
  • The project also reflects the increasing importance of reliable manufacturing capacity in industries that depend on sophisticated electronic, sensing and space-related technologies.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • By temporarily clogging excess blood vessels, doctors can reduce inflammation and quiet pain-sensing nerves without major surgery or permanent implants.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of sensing
Verb
  • Among the hundreds of thousands of people who took to the streets in France on Tuesday were Paolina and Violette, eighteen and seventeen years old, arguing politely with a white-haired man sucking apple juice from a juice box.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Deadline has established that several top producers have declined to throw their hat into the ring, with many citing concerns about the lack of rights and the production contract sucking creative energy away from other projects.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of sucking
Verb
  • Over time, inhaling these irritants can trigger chronic airway inflammation, irreversible lung tissue scarring, and obstructive pulmonary conditions.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Without a mask, without fear of needing lung implants, without having to worry about inhaling a soupçon of strychnine or similar industrial pollutants.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of inhaling
Verb
  • When the researchers ran the study again and asked about mental well-being, students reported feeling better in the phone’s absence.
    — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • From accessing their money to ordering a taxi or takeout, millions of Russians were feeling the impact of Ukrainian strikes on the data centers of the country’s internet giant Yandex in their daily life.
    — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of feeling
Verb
  • Thinking that writing code was the only bottleneck for deploying new software is like the Titanic seeing the tip of the iceberg and assuming there was nothing underneath it.
    — Brian Jenney, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Reading a book, a poem, seeing a painting or a sculpture, or even hearing the intro of a song.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of seeing
Verb
  • Helping other families Their experience seeking answers in Amy’s case and hearing other families describe similar struggles, prompted Shawn and Angie to consider starting a nonprofit years ago.
    — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Police detained Runa at the care home and took her away before her mother, who had rushed back to the facility upon hearing the news, had a chance to see her, Yoko recalled.
    — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of hearing
Verb
  • Bernard was on a color walk, a simple scavenger hunt organized around intentionally noticing a certain color—and how much of it is hiding in your ordinary surroundings.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Also worth noticing is the timestamp, showing when a specific voting location’s wait time was last updated.
    — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 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 Oct. 2026.

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