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
The waiting room is already over-flowing with bloodied, weary, apparently horrifically smelling patients.
—
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
This typically includes sensory testing, such as tasting and smelling products over time, and chemical tests that track changes like oxidation or moisture loss.
—Bridget Shirvell, Martha Stewart, 8 Jan. 2026
Indeed, most people don’t relish hearing (and smelling) other biological processes, such as burps and farts.
—Sarah Lindenfeld Hall, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
On her advice, Reid began going for late-night walks and grabbing coffee in the early morning to avoid smelling the neighbor’s drugs.
—Saumya Roy, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026
In video footage shared by the agency, the officers noted smelling chlorine.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
Putting on a musty-smelling shirt is uncomfortable enough.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2026
Overdoing it on Dryer Balls and Essential Oils The washing machine isn’t the only option for keeping clothes smelling good.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2026
SulfurSolve aims to play a central role in transforming a deadly, foul-smelling fuel into usable resources.
—Sixteen Ramos, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
This typically includes sensory testing, such as tasting and smelling products over time, and chemical tests that track changes like oxidation or moisture loss.
—Bridget Shirvell, Martha Stewart, 8 Jan. 2026
Indeed, most people don’t relish hearing (and smelling) other biological processes, such as burps and farts.
—Sarah Lindenfeld Hall, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
On her advice, Reid began going for late-night walks and grabbing coffee in the early morning to avoid smelling the neighbor’s drugs.
—Saumya Roy, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026
In video footage shared by the agency, the officers noted smelling chlorine.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
Putting on a musty-smelling shirt is uncomfortable enough.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2026
Overdoing it on Dryer Balls and Essential Oils The washing machine isn’t the only option for keeping clothes smelling good.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2026
SulfurSolve aims to play a central role in transforming a deadly, foul-smelling fuel into usable resources.
—Sixteen Ramos, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelling
Verb
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His wife’s charter school income of between $1 million to $5 million wasn’t fully reported on 2023 congressional financial disclosures until Florida Bulldog reporters started sniffing around.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Jan. 2026
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This was an unashamed 5-4-1 in three clear banks for long periods of the match, gritty, sniffing out second balls and home errors, clearances, blocks, recoveries, choosing when to press and when to sit.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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One system focuses on bird detection, while the other uses remote sensing lidar to survey trees.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
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Why pain-sensing skin matters for real-world robots Future service robots will need to work close to people.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But there’s a big difference between knowing that a relative is a pill and loving them through it and being rudely insulted by a relative and just sucking it up.—
Eric Thomas,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Jan. 2026
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Then there's the squat effect when the ship is in shallow water where the passage of the ship can cause a drop in pressure, sucking the hull downward.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Thousands more firefighters, fire officers, EMTs and recovery workers are battling cancers, lung disease, heart conditions, digestive disorders and other chronic illnesses caused by inhaling Ground Zero toxins.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
13 Dec. 2025
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One of the trailer’s sharpest beats shows Charli screaming at Tim (Jamie Demetriou) in frustration while inhaling a cigarette.—
Riann Phillip,
Vogue,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Or not feeling super fresh after a nap at 35,000 feet with your mouth hung open?—
Carin Ryan,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Jan. 2026
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A lot of volume shampoos have left my hair feeling heavy and greasy at the root, but this one lifts without the weight.—
Olivia Dubyak,
InStyle,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Hotel employees recounted seeing Short make several telephone calls in the lobby that evening, growing increasingly frantic.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
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On an average, companies are seeing 25%-35% improvement across important key performance indicators as a direct impact of using AI, the report said.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Svalinn hires trainers from many different backgrounds — even prioritizing candidates without dog-training experience — so the dogs get used to hearing commands from a variety of voices, says Greene.—
Megan Sauer
Tasia Jensen,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
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Upon hearing the sentence request, the 65-year-old Yoon smiled inscrutably from his dock in court, while the gallery reportedly erupted with jeers from his supporters.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Or noticing that your hands feel inexplicably stiff and swollen, making simple tasks like opening a jar or even typing feel unusually difficult.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
5 Jan. 2026
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The second witness went inside for safety, then re-emerged, noticing the brothers were fighting, court records state.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelling. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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