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
Look for male trees at garden centers, as females produce foul-smelling fruits.
—
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2025
Employees of Hollywood Tow called the LAPD on September 8 after smelling something foul from the car, per KTLA 5.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
New York Fashion Week is getting off to a sweet-smelling start.
—James Manso, Footwear News, 7 Sep. 2025
In front of a packed crowd of surgeons, Morton asked Abbott to breathe in the fumes of a sweet-smelling liquid, known as ether, contained inside a small glass sphere.
—Rj MacKenzie, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2025
The two pups immediately start smelling each other and wagging their tails, clearly stating their approval of one another.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Choosing a ripe cantaloup involves checking out the stem, looking at the color, smelling it, and examining its weight.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 28 Aug. 2025
With six petals that delicately curve outwards, this plant grows multiple sweet-smelling flowers on a single stem.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Aug. 2025
Stroll past antique shops and sweet-smelling chocolatiers, where locals greet you by name.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2025
Employees of Hollywood Tow called the LAPD on September 8 after smelling something foul from the car, per KTLA 5.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
New York Fashion Week is getting off to a sweet-smelling start.
—James Manso, Footwear News, 7 Sep. 2025
In front of a packed crowd of surgeons, Morton asked Abbott to breathe in the fumes of a sweet-smelling liquid, known as ether, contained inside a small glass sphere.
—Rj MacKenzie, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2025
The two pups immediately start smelling each other and wagging their tails, clearly stating their approval of one another.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Choosing a ripe cantaloup involves checking out the stem, looking at the color, smelling it, and examining its weight.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 28 Aug. 2025
With six petals that delicately curve outwards, this plant grows multiple sweet-smelling flowers on a single stem.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Aug. 2025
Stroll past antique shops and sweet-smelling chocolatiers, where locals greet you by name.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelling
Verb
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The American Kennel Club says that digging is as natural to dogs as barking or sniffing.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
In Season 1, someone taps out after the first night because a bear was sniffing around his camp.—
Alex Hutchinson,
Outside,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This new gel, however, manages to combine strength, healing, and sensing capabilities in one material, which is a rare feat.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
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Use Intuition To Anticipate Future Trends A leader’s intuition is their backstage pass to the future—spotting unseen patterns, sensing cultural shifts and making bold moves before data catches up.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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So tech companies are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to build out the data centers — giant, energy-sucking buildings full of computer servers — to ensure the US has the technical infrastructure to deliver all of the AI magic.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
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In addition, Apple seems to have been able to execute the upgrade without sucking up your spare storage with excessively large video files.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Within seconds of inhaling the foul odor, the white dog springs back in disgust and hastily shuffles to the other side of the bed, as though trying to escape the smell altogether.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Casteel suspects that long before whole-body deodorant arrived on the market, many people were using existing products in unsafe ways; in rare cases, people have died from inadvertently inhaling the gases of aerosol deodorants.—
Franklin Schneider,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An ancillary of the brand’s best-selling, ambery-woody eau, each aluminum tube contains a quick-absorbing lotion that lavishes skin with moisture, keeping hands feeling comfortable and cuticles softened with its moisturizing blend of avocado oil, shea butter, plus green tea and chamomile extracts.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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The furniture, objects, and art left me feeling culturally satisfied and inspired to finally finish furnishing my apartment.—
Libby Page,
Vogue,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Nepal’s current bout of political unrest started in early September, when a group of young Nepalis, fed up with seeing politicians’ children posting about their designer handbags and luxury travel while most people struggle to make ends meet, organized a peaceful protest.—
Sugam Pokharel,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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Most of all, the United States must create the capacity for advanced recycling that is seeing investments happen mostly overseas.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In that incident, two men allegedly fired into an apartment building from the lot after hearing gunshots nearby and observing a green laser on one man’s daughter.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
12 Sep. 2025
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But where the book ends with David hearing a hopeful message on the radio, the movie has the tank run out.—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Nutrafol Skin Clear Skin Nutraceutical was born because Nutrafol’s team was hearing from dermatologists that some patients taking Nutrafol’s hair growth supplements were also noticing their acne clear up.—
Megan McIntyre,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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The Times, however, reported that the boat had turned around after noticing a military aircraft following it.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelling. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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