variants
or chiefly British smelt
1
2
as in felt
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
For the first time all year, the woods actually smelled like fall.
—
Brad Dokken, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
The outlet said the floor smelled like Febreze.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025
Breeja had already smelled us in the hallway and started looking for us, clearly excited but a little confused.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The Giants smelled blood in the water against a vulnerable Chargers offensive line.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
The driver of a car that struck and killed a woman in Miami last week smelled like booze and had slurred speech, according to law enforcement officials.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
When officers arrived, Ferguson smelled of alcohol and was wearing an empty ankle holster, per previous PEOPLE reporting.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
As for the infants, those whose mothers ingested garlic attached to the breast for longer periods and sucked more when the milk smelled like garlic.
—ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
My grandma always slept with curlers in her hair to have perfect spirals the next day, and my mom’s jet-black hair was always long, glossy, and smelled amazing.
—Natasha López, Refinery29, 10 Sep. 2025
Brad Dokken, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
The outlet said the floor smelled like Febreze.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025
Breeja had already smelled us in the hallway and started looking for us, clearly excited but a little confused.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The Giants smelled blood in the water against a vulnerable Chargers offensive line.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
The driver of a car that struck and killed a woman in Miami last week smelled like booze and had slurred speech, according to law enforcement officials.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
When officers arrived, Ferguson smelled of alcohol and was wearing an empty ankle holster, per previous PEOPLE reporting.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
As for the infants, those whose mothers ingested garlic attached to the breast for longer periods and sucked more when the milk smelled like garlic.
—ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
My grandma always slept with curlers in her hair to have perfect spirals the next day, and my mom’s jet-black hair was always long, glossy, and smelled amazing.
—Natasha López, Refinery29, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelled
Verb
-
Darren Rizzi, the Broncos’ special teams coordinator, sniffed it out.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Astro came up to Mars and immediately sniffed him and then started licking him.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Quinn felt the defense could improve on several things to further limit fellow powers down the line, but Grace Hagan, Kendal Cusack and Ella Dacey played a major role in the Porkers still only allowing just three total shots despite Canton’s elite firepower.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Their 3-1 victory over the Brewers on Thursday, in a game that felt more comfortable than the score might have indicated, put them in position to get back to the World Series for the second year in a row, third time in six years and fifth time in the last nine.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
His frequent use of direct-to-camera narration initially seems like a cloying misstep (mostly because so many other movies have sucked the fun out of that device).—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
17 Oct. 2025
-
There is no shortage of pundits and fans who say Guardiola’s influence has been a turn-off, claiming the focus on possession and building from the back had sucked the joy, spontaneity and unpredictability out of the Premier League.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Previous research has found that TCE, when inhaled or ingested, can easily cross the blood-brain barrier and cause damage to neurons.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Medicines needing to be inhaled or smoked are prohibited unless in a prescribed inhaler.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Had his dad not sensed something and dialed 911, Andrew, a star baseball player turned gambling addict in college, would have quietly checked out at age 33, leaving his twin infant sons, his guilt-crippled parents, and many thousands of dollars in gambling debts behind.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Long and Jin Drexel both said Jin may have sensed the arrest was coming, telling them both in recent weeks that persecution could lead to a new wave of revival among Christianity.—
Chandelis Duster,
NPR,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The trees were cut down, sawed in half, hollowed out and tied back together for the musicians to use.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
-
Fanatics shared the moment Tennessee Titans first overall pick, quarterback Cam Ward, saw Brady pop up on the screen to give him some wise words.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Sitting on a purple-and-gold sofa, Mamdani tasted his biryani and frowned.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Or who tasted ghoulish true crime.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Craft had not noticed the python biting Cruz.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
-
However, Kutcher noticed a double standard still exists.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelled. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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