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
For days, the violence escalated until the precinct was in flames, until Lake Street was burning, until the whole city smelled like smoke and tear gas and grief.
—
Jennifer Brooks, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
The building was packed from floor to ceiling with boxes and junk, and smelled strongly of cat urine.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2026
Sweet also smelled strongly of alcohol and had slurred speech, bloodshot, glassy eyes and impaired memory, Talbot wrote in the affidavit.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 6 Jan. 2026
Some of the packages contained traces of a substance that smelled like marijuana.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2026
Core’s vehicle did not have a visible license plate, and officers smelled marijuana which prompted a search of the car, authorities said.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Joshua smelled blood in the water in the fifth round, knocking Paul down twice.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 20 Dec. 2025
The plane smelled like mildew and body odor, and the seats looked threadbare.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
An internal affairs investigation in Jefferson County reveals other law enforcement officers smelled alcohol on Sgt.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelled
Verb
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Making his early exit as the second player murdered even more painful was the fact that Rob had correctly sniffed out that a murder in plain sight was happening.—
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This is a team that would’ve never sniffed a title chance until the 12-team format arrived.—
Verb
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James, now 4, was born in April 2021, and from the very beginning, Alyssa, 32, and her husband, John, sensed there was something special about him.—
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But by the mid-1930s, Soviet leaders sensed that people needed something to take the edge off in the dead of winter, a carnivalesque custom of the sort that Christmas once provided.—
Verb
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Multiple objects, including the phones of two passengers, Wiprud's headset and multiple aircraft components, were sucked out of the aircraft.—
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It’s added a sometimes unbearable pressure to dozens of players and often sucked the life out of one of the NHL’s most passionate markets.—
Verb
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Football leans on tradition, providing convenient cover for the NFL’s lenient stance on smelling salts, ammonia crystals that players believe enhance performance when inhaled.—
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When inhaled, these particles enter the lungs and can then pass into the bloodstream, increasing people’s risk of heart disease and decreasing lung function.—
Verb
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Other affected customers, like KHOU meteorologist Pat Calvin, noted how the sudden technological disconnect felt like the return of a bygone era.—
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The fun retro glasses seemed to rebel against gear that was getting as buttoned-up as the world, which has felt a bit heavier and more serious in the last five to ten years.—
Verb
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During the trial, jurors learned about grim Google searches Brian had made after his wife died, including how to saw a body and how to clean blood off of wood floors.—
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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.—
Verb
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Thousands of people have peacefully made their voices heard.—
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The Senate Education heard testimony on the bill, indicating lawmakers are serious about the proposal, but the committee has not yet taken a vote.—
Verb
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The use of generative AI to automatically fill out (and, in some cases, even submit) applications is harmful to everyone; employers are unable to filter through the noise, and legitimate candidates have a harder time getting noticed—much less advancing to an interview.—
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For pro basketball fans who haven’t noticed, City Hall is catty-corner, across South Akard Street, from Memorial Auditorium, built in 1957.—
Cite this Entry
“Smelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelled. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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