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.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
-
Deputies once again conducted a traffic stop, and a police dog sniffed out illicit substances.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
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.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
This remark by a North Carolina journalist in 1848 neatly distilled what many sensed was overtaking American life.—
David S. Reynolds,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
He had been sucked out of a cabin on the morning of July 4 as children clutched at his limbs.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
-
Experts weighed in — like MythBusters’ Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, who suggested that Superman used the Large Hadron Collider to generate tiny wormholes that sucked the stubble from his face.—
Benjamin Svetkey,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Medicines needing to be inhaled or smoked are prohibited unless in a prescribed inhaler.—
Victor Jacobo,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
The players inhaled all the enthusiasm and channeled it.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
At first, [it] maybe could have felt like a caricature.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
Brook's impact is felt across the department.—
Dawn White,
CBS News,
17 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
-
If the sky becomes threatening and thunder can be heard, find a safe place to shelter.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
23 June 2026
-
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.—
Michael Abeyta,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
The man then noticed a bullet hole in her car door.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
19 June 2026
-
But in recent years, NASA has noticed that the critical satellite has begun unexpectedly getting lower and lower – putting it in danger of burning up in Earth's atmosphere.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelled. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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