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
And smelled the scent outside Friday morning during her walk.
—
Los Angeles Times, 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
My pits smelled like Campbell’s chicken soup.
—Laura Bradley, Vanity Fair, 18 May 2026
But Wednesday night, they were handed a harsh lesson from a true contender — one that smelled blood against a team that cowered and played scared to death from the 20-minute mark on.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 14 May 2026
The air smelled faintly of lunch and feet.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Matamala had smelled smoke in the air in the early evening; within five hours, flames had reached the house.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
These blooms are loved by babies, smelled by furry friends and bring out suburban neighbors to the city, including Kathy Cooper from Hopkins.
—Marielle Mohs, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 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
My pits smelled like Campbell’s chicken soup.
—Laura Bradley, Vanity Fair, 18 May 2026
But Wednesday night, they were handed a harsh lesson from a true contender — one that smelled blood against a team that cowered and played scared to death from the 20-minute mark on.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 14 May 2026
The air smelled faintly of lunch and feet.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Matamala had smelled smoke in the air in the early evening; within five hours, flames had reached the house.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
These blooms are loved by babies, smelled by furry friends and bring out suburban neighbors to the city, including Kathy Cooper from Hopkins.
—Marielle Mohs, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelled
Verb
-
Technically, that wasn’t the very last image — the wormhole sucked up the whole theater, spit out a snow globe, and Benny, Colbert’s pet dog, sniffed the souvenir before being ushered onward by his owner — but when the lights went out on Broadway, that was that.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
-
On Monday, police officers were taking photos of the scene as a police dog sniffed the front yard of the home where Elijah Mayo died.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Witnesses to the downtown Sacramento mass shooting that left six dead and more than a dozen wounded as nightclubs closed on K Street sensed trouble in the moments before the shots were fired.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
-
Three years ago, the Brewers sensed that the industry was shying away from Pratt over signability concerns.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
That sucked most of the ticket-holders and nearly all of the life out of the stadium.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
30 May 2026
-
In the political thriller, ex-CIA operative Jack gets sucked back into the secret-agent game and teams up with old friends – plus a new MI6 officer (Sienna Miller) – to stop a black-ops squad from causing global chaos.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The microscopic droplets released from a flushing toilet can rise 4 feet in the air and be inhaled or land on bathroom surfaces.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2026
-
One of them inhaled water and became unconscious, NBC 5 and CBS News Chicago reported, citing authorities.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
Verb
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It’s been just two years since Bottega Veneta launched its inaugural fragrance collection, in which, much like the Maison’s intricate leatherwork, the sinuous bottles perched atop sculptural marble stands felt like stand-alone works of art.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
3 June 2026
-
The anticipation of ripping off hard wax didn’t magically disappear, and for my first few waxes post-birth, my skin felt more sensitive than usual.—
Aimee Simeon,
Allure,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Moving a blade back and forth to try to saw biscuits apart will make their layers stick (and ruin the rise).—
Ella Quittner,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Ruggeri says that, in comparison to saw palmetto, which gets far more attention.—
Adam Hurly,
Robb Report,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As Augie Lopez trotted around the bases late Monday night, the small contingent of USC fans could finally be heard at Blue Bell Park.—
Jose de Jesus Ortiz,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
The jury pool was asked questions, like who had heard about the case.—
Ashley Paul,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
On April 30, fans noticed a mysterious countdown briefly appear on Swift's website.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
-
The animal first gained attention after a local farmer noticed the resemblance.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelled. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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