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
Other carriers, smelling blood, had been circling for nearly a year if not longer, and within hours of the airline's collapse were scrambling to both fly ticketed Spirit customers and add to their schedules in the absence left by Spirit's yellow planes.
—
Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 4 May 2026
Best dry shampoo for colored hair A longstanding favorite for decades, this classic dry shampoo formula keeps hair fresh-smelling and easy to style.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
My latest obsession is the Jasmine Damask Rose Candle from Flamingo Estate, which is a luxurious home must-have that keeps my space smelling wonderful and gets constant compliments from guests.
—Ali Faccenda, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
The team asked people to memorize locations on a graph while smelling the scent of rose.
—Shayla Love, New Yorker, 1 May 2026
But time after time, Wrexham come up smelling of roses.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Browns are full of carbon and will keep things from smelling bad.
—Jessica Damiano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
The utility advised that anyone smelling gas should move away from the area right away and call 911.
—Marta Mieze, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Keeping the bathroom smelling fresh isn’t always an easy task.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 4 May 2026
Best dry shampoo for colored hair A longstanding favorite for decades, this classic dry shampoo formula keeps hair fresh-smelling and easy to style.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
My latest obsession is the Jasmine Damask Rose Candle from Flamingo Estate, which is a luxurious home must-have that keeps my space smelling wonderful and gets constant compliments from guests.
—Ali Faccenda, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
The team asked people to memorize locations on a graph while smelling the scent of rose.
—Shayla Love, New Yorker, 1 May 2026
But time after time, Wrexham come up smelling of roses.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Browns are full of carbon and will keep things from smelling bad.
—Jessica Damiano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
The utility advised that anyone smelling gas should move away from the area right away and call 911.
—Marta Mieze, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Keeping the bathroom smelling fresh isn’t always an easy task.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelling
Verb
-
Video released on Thursday, April 30, appears to show a police dog sniffing White House Correspondents' dinner accused shooter, Cole Tomas Allen, moments before shots were fired on Saturday, April 25.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
-
Orange County Public Health Services did not find just one mouse sniffing around for scraps.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Adaptive headlights, alloy wheels, panorama moon roof, power lift gate and trunk release, power folding exterior mirrors and rain-sensing windshield wipers are also standard.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
-
These systems could overwhelm enemy defenses or give wide-area sensing across large regions.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Feeling restless and reckless, Michael (LJ Benet) is drawn to a hard-rocking local band that is secretly a quartet of young vampires that is literally sucking the life out of the community.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
-
In 1992, the Daily Mirror published photos of Bryan sucking on the royal’s toes while on vacation in Saint-Tropez.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There are no official animal exhibits along the walk, although there are small shelter areas for taking a seat, inhaling nature and feeling nostalgic.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
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Use caution when working with certain products; inhaling them could cause asthma symptoms.—
Sanja Jelic,
Verywell Health,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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With companies feeling the squeeze of high rates and weaker consumption, more workers were going unpaid, getting furloughed, or seeing their hours cut.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
-
But fertilizer, farmers are feeling it.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Dozens of armed federal agents and LAPD officers were seeing raiding several storefronts near the Alvarado corridor on Wednesday afternoon.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
-
Correa was on crutches and in a walking boot Wednesday morning at the ballpark after seeing a foot specialist.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Jurors in a Fort Worth courtroom decided on Tanner Horner’s punishment after hearing about a month of testimony and evidence that included audio of Athena Strand’s last moments from inside the delivery van.—
Jamie Stengle,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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Those materials included attorney reports, hearing transcripts and prior court orders.—
Greg Wehner , Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
And without really noticing it, the urgency that once existed at the beginning of your search quietly fades away.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
-
After noticing that one of the items purchased was the entire Lip Critic discography on Bandcamp, Kaser was later confronted by the fan at one of their shows, who claimed to have decoded hidden messages in their music.—
Alastair Shuttleworth,
Pitchfork,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelling. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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