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 Aryna Sabalenka stopped a match because, apparently, the stadium smelled more like weed than your neighbor’s van with the Dio album cover airbrushed on the side. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026 The shower water was scalding; the meat in the food smelled off. — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 Officers initially smelled the odor of unburnt cannabis during the stop, according to police, and Mark Stephens handed them an open container of weed. — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelled
  1. sniffed
  2. sensed
  3. sucked
  4. inhaled
  5. felt
  6. saw
  7. heard
  8. noticed
Verb
  • The final three possessions to determine the winner included a screen pass sniffed out by Lawrence, tipped in the air and intercepted.
    — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Special Narcotics Prosecutor's Office They were flagged as suspicious at a UPS facility in Queens after a K9 sniffed out the drugs.
    — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of sniffed
Verb
  • New players haven’t sensed any wariness from the loss or felt a Super Bowl hangover.
    — Chad Graff, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • When news broke that Mark Walter’s insurance businesses were under federal investigation and that the Lakers and Dodgers owner might be in financial trouble, Josh Kushner sensed a business opportunity.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of sensed
Verb
  • Uplighting causes the dark panels to look like pillows, making the rooms feel soft and cosmic, as if the audience might be gently sucked into both the screen and the ceiling.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • They accidentally get sucked into a portal that transports them to a fantastical world with a friendly weredog (Dave Franco) and a demon (Lea Salonga) that feeds on memories.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of sucked
Verb
  • Other critics in Congress have focused on products that can be inhaled and high-potency candy products, as well as the lack of THC caps and testing requirements for those products.
    — Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
  • If disturbed, asbestos’ microscopic crystalline fibers get into the air, where they can be inhaled, cause lung scarring and lead to fatal cancers.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of inhaled
Verb
  • The Georgia international cutting in off the left to curl the ball into the far corner has been a trademark in European football since his 2022 move to Napoli, but the ball in behind being played by his opposite winger, Desire Doue, felt different.
    — Art de Roché, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The impact felt by Muslim Americans and others has been part of what Vida Lashgari has learned about the attacks that took place a few years before she was born.
    — Deepti Hajela, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 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
  • Another teacher heard Williams calling for help, and rushed in to help.
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Over 21 days of testimony, jurors heard how Clancy’s mental health had collapsed after Callan’s birth.
    — Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of heard
Verb
  • Michael Reaves / Getty Images When the Bears traveled to Cincinnati for a joint practice last month, Kmet noticed how much the Bengals’ defense changed in one offseason, a perfect example of the message Johnson is sending.
    — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Common causes include overwatering, pests like leafminers or spider mites, fungal issues, or frost damage, which is often noticed in early spring.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of noticed

Browse Nearby Words

smell
smelled
smelled (of)
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Cite this Entry

“Smelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelled. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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