smelled

verb

variants or chiefly British smelt
past tense of smell
1
as in sniffed
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 sensed
to have a vague awareness of I smell something fishy about this situation

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in sucked
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 smelled Xcel crews told fire officials that a nearby business had used a cleaning solution that smelled like propane gas. — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 13 Aug. 2026 The women looked terrible—bruised and sallow—and smelled even worse. — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Incident reports show there was also a burn barrel which smelled of decomposition. — Nikki Battiste, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026 According to an incident report by the Gainesville Police Department, Bader smelled of alcohol after that collision. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 July 2026 The air smelled like smoke, even hundreds of miles downwind from the blazes. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 20 July 2026 Harvest had finished two weeks ago and the cellar smelled ripely of yeast, like fruit and uncooked dough. — Kyle Lucia Wu, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 July 2026 For spouses Jennifer Kraus and Abigail Cruz, the plants smelled like rotten garbage. — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026 As someone with an open concept home where the trash can unfortunately be smelled from the couch, this is my favorite discovery of the year so far. — Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelled
  1. sniffed
  2. sensed
  3. sucked
  4. inhaled
  5. felt
  6. saw
  7. heard
  8. noticed
Verb
  • Barkley sniffed the patient all over, and pointed right at her neck, around where the thyroid is located.
    — Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Edge rusher Bud Dupree sniffed out a screen pass and forced a throw in the dirt; then rookie edge rusher Akheem Mesidor had a sack off the edge.
    — Daniel Popper, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of sniffed
Verb
  • As far back as 2017, OpenAI identified a sentiment neuron—a particular node in an AI model’s deep learning network that sensed whether the bias in an online Amazon review was positive or negative.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Published in late 2018—the very moment the Andy Rubin scandal broke and sparked the Google Walkout—this book gave us language for something many of us had sensed but couldn’t yet articulate.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of sensed
Verb
  • The passenger sitting in that seat was partially sucked out of the plane, suffering serious injuries, the NTSB said.
    — Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The 61-year-old man who was nearly sucked out of the plane suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns.
    — Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of sucked
Verb
  • Spores can enter through a cut in the skin or be inhaled or ingested.
    — RJ Mackenzie, Popular Science, 5 Aug. 2026
  • There's been a drastic increase Fine particulates and gases, including carbon monoxide, are inhaled and can lodge deep within the lungs, causing inflammation and irritation.
    — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 19 July 2026
Definition of inhaled
Verb
  • The girls have heard of Head In The Clouds and felt honored to be asked to participate, as artists like KATSEYE, XG, GDRAGON, 2NE1, Zedd, Joji, and more have headlined the festival.
    — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Authorities recorded more than 2,100 aftershocks through Tuesday, though only 70 were felt by residents.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of felt
Verb
  • In the book, Covey tells the story of a man relentlessly sawing down a tree.
    — Tony Gambill, Forbes.com, 2 June 2026
  • Jordan Walker, sawed off by a 96 mph sinker, lined out softly.
    — Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 19 Apr. 2026
Definition of saw
Verb
  • Explosions could be heard as the munitions detonated during the fire, forcing firefighters to stay out of the area for safety.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The ship’s captain has pleaded not guilty to charges including criminal damage in a case set to be heard early next year in Hong Kong, where the company is registered.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of heard
Verb
  • Earlier this summer, staff at the Royal Oak Public Library in Oakland County noticed bedbugs on some furniture during a building inspection.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Nearly an hour after Nolan was last seen, friends on one of the boats noticed its bilge pump had failed and water was rapidly filling the hull, Tyler Cox and Edward Paltzik, attorneys for the friends, told CNN.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of noticed

Browse Nearby Words

smell
smelled
smelled (of)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Smelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelled. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on smelled

Nglish: Translation of smelled for Spanish Speakers

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