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 Worth checking out The Nest Fragrances Reed Diffuser will keep your bathroom smelling nice with 21 lush scents, including lemon and mint, apricot tea, ginger and vanilla bean, ocean mist and sea salt, grapefruit and more. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 6 July 2026 Scents like Watermelon Whirl, Banana Blend, Berry Bliss and Tangerine Twirl are perfect for smelling delicious this summer, so shop the full collection now, which includes moisturizing body washes, travel-size perfume sprays and lip oil. — Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 6 July 2026 Even though modern machines and detergents have taken most of the workload out of the task, there are still some outdated laundry habits that may leave your clothes and linens looking dingy, smelling less than fresh, and feeling scratchy. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 July 2026 Mild scurvy caused bleeding gums, tooth loss and foul-smelling breath. — Katherine Ott, The Conversation, 2 July 2026 The things that are important to me—taking care of myself, skincare, grooming, hygiene, smelling good, being clean—have always been high priorities. — Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Old Herald clippings from 1986 reported about homeowners’ toilets and sinks smelling like gas, a 3-year-old getting rashes and fevers from drinking the well water and fear of dryers exploding. — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 27 June 2026 Everything stays organized, contained, and smelling fresh, which somehow makes unpacking (and repacking) far less painful. — Carin Ryan, Travel + Leisure, 26 June 2026 But to keep your rug looking (and smelling) fresh, here are some of our go-tos. — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelling
  1. sniffing
  2. sensing
  3. sucking
  4. inhaling
  5. feeling
  6. seeing
  7. hearing
  8. noticing
Verb
  • This could include sniffing around more than usual or barking and growling at odd places like piles of leaves.
    — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 3 July 2026
  • Musk and SpaceX have a true nose for money, including sniffing out government infusions and contracts.
    — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 20 June 2026
Definition of sniffing
Verb
  • The mice that were prevented from scratching and those lacking the itch-sensing neuron experienced less inflammation.
    — Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
  • The second, MiDAR, is an active multispectral sensing system that shoots multiple wavelengths of light through the water column to illuminate the otherwise dark ocean depths.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026
Definition of sensing
Verb
  • The groan-shout of sweaty irritation that rose from our bench was life-sucking, and also far too familiar.
    — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 8 July 2026
  • According to Levine, no attempt should be made to remove the venom yourself, whether by sucking on the wound or cutting it.
    — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of sucking
Verb
  • Avoid inhaling the dust—even food-grade—as prolonged exposure can irritate the lungs, says Harlow-Ellis.
    — Emily Hayes, Martha Stewart, 24 June 2026
  • Gonzalez worked to enforce a roadblock during the chemical plume without being informed about the dangers of inhaling the chemicals.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 23 June 2026
Definition of inhaling
Verb
  • The Majestic espouses a traditional luxury hotel style without feeling stuffy or pretentious.
    — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • That feeling Moskovitz had was shared by many of the other actors on the project, largely new characters not introduced in the Legally Blonde canon before the series.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026
Definition of feeling
Verb
  • True, nothing so grand as a massive dragon and naval battle took place, but seeing Rhaenyra start to change into someone almost unrecognizable from her younger, more innocent self was compelling in a deeper way.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • Hernandez, 29, a contractor based in Franklin, about 20 miles south of Nashville, undertook the $380 project with furniture from HomeGoods after seeing his pet spend most of her life tucked away in a little corner.
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 5 July 2026
Definition of seeing
Verb
  • Handing the survivor her jewelry and hearing her story a few days later gave Dondi and her team of volunteers a reassuring nudge to push forward with their work.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • During Murdaugh’s first status hearing on Monday, June 29, Judge Debra McCaslin did not rule on the DNA evidence, telling defense attorneys to clarify if the sample was viable.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of hearing
Verb
  • In the few years following the discovery of ‘Oumuamua’s bizarre motion, Farnocchia and his collaborators began noticing that multiple asteroids orbiting close to Earth also accelerated in a cometlike manner.
    — Darryl Z. Seligman, Scientific American, 10 July 2026
  • This connection begins simply by noticing the birds around you.
    — Lesly Gregory, AJC.com, 9 July 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 12 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of smelling for Spanish Speakers

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