variants
or chiefly British smelt
1
2
as in sensed
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 smelled
Nostalgia was for the Smurfs, for erasers that smelled like strawberries.
—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Heavy seaside fog settled above us, and the air smelled salty.
—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Investigators smelled hand sanitizer and ruled that the fire was set intentionally, prosecutors said.
—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
The soap smelled like a spa and the Crème de Marfil heated floors and walls kept us all warm when drying off.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 June 2026
Others smelled a marketing stunt — not that there’s anything wrong with that.
—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
2 June 2026
The police also found that his room, which had an inoperable heater, smelled overwhelmingly of feces, and his mattress was badly stained, while a deadbolt from outside kept him from exiting, according to the New Zealand Herald.
—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
My son went outside and immediately smelled something rotten.
—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
His home office is a narrow two-bedroom near an asphalt processing plant and a superfund site, both of which can be smelled with the windows open on a warm day.
—
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Heavy seaside fog settled above us, and the air smelled salty.
—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Investigators smelled hand sanitizer and ruled that the fire was set intentionally, prosecutors said.
—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
The soap smelled like a spa and the Crème de Marfil heated floors and walls kept us all warm when drying off.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 June 2026
Others smelled a marketing stunt — not that there’s anything wrong with that.
—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
2 June 2026
The police also found that his room, which had an inoperable heater, smelled overwhelmingly of feces, and his mattress was badly stained, while a deadbolt from outside kept him from exiting, according to the New Zealand Herald.
—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
My son went outside and immediately smelled something rotten.
—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
His home office is a narrow two-bedroom near an asphalt processing plant and a superfund site, both of which can be smelled with the windows open on a warm day.
—
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelled
Verb
-
On land, cadaver dogs sniffed the shore for any trace of Lynette.
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Deputies once again conducted a traffic stop, and a police dog sniffed out illicit substances.
Verb
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Meeting with Chase Reid after the 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League season, Soo Greyhounds general manager Kyle Raftis sensed a chip on his player’s shoulder.
-
This remark by a North Carolina journalist in 1848 neatly distilled what many sensed was overtaking American life.
Verb
-
Yet both Carney and his creator kept getting sucked back in.
-
And seriously, without fail, I got completely sucked into Oprah’s magic.
Verb
-
Medicines needing to be inhaled or smoked are prohibited unless in a prescribed inhaler.
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The players inhaled all the enthusiasm and channeled it.
Verb
-
Rodríguez said that although the tremors were felt across the entire country, the areas hardest hit so far include Caracas, Miranda, La Guaira, Aragua, Carabobo and Falcón.
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What at first felt fun — like guiding a sweet wayward child — soon felt like a crazymaking psychological experiment.
Verb
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Moving a blade back and forth to try to saw biscuits apart will make their layers stick (and ruin the rise).
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Ruggeri says that, in comparison to saw palmetto, which gets far more attention.
Verb
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If the sky becomes threatening and thunder can be heard, find a safe place to shelter.
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The proposal, which will be heard at Monday's city council meeting, is estimated by the city to cost between $15,000 and $25,000, primarily because of the cost of materials needed to suspend it at the new location.
Verb
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This market opportunity has now been embraced by a team of a16z partners that has extensive experience in networking and infrastructure automation, which indicates that the challenge is being noticed.
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And each time, Wacha noticed a desire within Lugo to keep pitching at the highest level.
Cite this Entry
“Smelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelled. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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