How to Use smelling salts in a Sentence

smelling salts

noun
  • The union acknowledged talks with the league about smelling salts.
    — Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Nov. 2025
  • Players often use smelling salts for a quick jolt to their system.
    — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2025
  • So, what exactly are smelling salts—and why should parents be concerned?
    — Kris Ann Valdez, Parents, 5 Sep. 2025
  • He has been known to be a fan of using smelling salts during games to stay as alert and fired up as possible.
    — Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Blackwood, and a spotty defense on junk in front of the net, provided the smelling salts.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 14 May 2026
  • Mayfield likely will not suffer any negative effects on the field from not being able to use smelling salts.
    — Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
  • However, the league didn’t outright ban the use of smelling salts altogether.
    — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 12 Jan. 2026
  • This was a brutal reality check; a sniff of the smelling salts Leeds have been working towards for the past two years.
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2025
  • There are no recorded studies that show smelling salts improve athletic performance.
    — Jason Jones, New York Times, 15 May 2026
  • The Pitt invigorated audiences like a big sniff of smelling salts.
    — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Some experts believe the effects of smelling salts are purely psychological.
    — Jason Jones, New York Times, 15 May 2026
  • There’s no question that smelling salts trigger a physiological response.
    — Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Nov. 2025
  • Sacramento Kings coach Doug Christie’s reaction to smelling salts went viral before a game in March.
    — Jason Jones, New York Times, 15 May 2026
  • Sports like football, hockey, boxing and powerlifting have long been associated with smelling salts.
    — Jason Jones, New York Times, 15 May 2026
  • The ban prohibited team personnel from providing or supplying smelling salts to players and coaches.
    — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 12 Jan. 2026
  • What Parents Can Do Parents should talk to their kids early about smelling salts before teens encounter them on the field or online.
    — Kris Ann Valdez, Parents, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Unfortunately for Mayfield, the NFL made the decision to ban the use of smelling salts.
    — Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Seahawks kicker Jason Myers, 34, has been taking a whiff of smelling salts for the past eight seasons as part of his process before field-goal attempts.
    — Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Feb. 2026
  • The ban only prohibits team employees from distributing smelling salts and other ammonia inhalants during pregame, halftime or games on the sideline or locker rooms.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • The league informed all teams of a smelling salts ban before and during all NFL games, and the do-it-all tight end from the Bay Area is not happy.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Manning said smelling salts have only been approved for fainting because of the temporary increase of blood flow to the brain, and increased heart and respiratory rates can wake a person up.
    — Jason Jones, New York Times, 15 May 2026
  • Ahead of the 2025 season, the league’s head, neck and spine committee recommended that teams end the longtime practice of providing smelling salts to players.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
  • The league sent a memo to teams on Tuesday explaining the decision to ban smelling salts and any other ammonia inhalant during pregame activities, games and halftime on the sideline or locker rooms.
    — Josh Dubow, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2025
  • It was not notified before the NFL sent its memo to teams in August and later sent a clarifying memo to players explaining that smelling salts could still be used.
    — Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Nov. 2025
  • The policy change was mistakenly reported by national media outlets initially, suggesting the use and distribution of smelling salts had been banned.
    — Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Nov. 2025
  • McCarthy referred to the memo the league sent to teams in August, which cited the FDA warning and recommended prohibiting the use of smelling salts.
    — Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Nov. 2025
  • George Kittle, the 49ers All-Pro tight end, jumped on an NFL Network broadcast to proclaim that smelling salts were crucial to his performance.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
  • San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, and every NFL player, doesn’t have to go into gamedays without smelling salts after all.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • John Lynch, a Hall of Fame safety, still incorporates smelling salts into his game-day routine as general manager, from the comfort of his suite at Levi’s Stadium.
    — Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Nov. 2025
  • 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.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smelling salts.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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