How to Use smelly in a Sentence

smelly

adjective
  • I don't like smelly cheese.
  • Her yard was covered in thick, smelly bird poop.
    — Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Sweaty and smelly clothes can be the sign of a good workout.
    — Cody Godwin, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2025
  • Many of the seeds were black, mushy and smelly, but some appeared to be healthy.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Nov. 2024
  • Live shrimp works well, but dead, smelly shrimp and cut crabs are the best options.
    — OrlandoSentinel.com, 23 Feb. 2018
  • Yes, just add all your coffee grounds and egg shells to that big smelly street soup.
    — Maggie Lange, Bon Appetit, 24 Apr. 2017
  • Never wait until your kitchen sponges are smelly to wash them.
    — Brittany Anas, House Beautiful, 1 June 2023
  • And ferries can be painfully slow, as well as smelly and noisy.
    — Afdhel Aziz, Forbes, 12 May 2021
  • So, how does that translate to smelly clothing?
    — Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Add a new dryer sheet to smelly shoes and boots to help freshen them.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 9 June 2026
  • Wound up cleaning up a street full of gross, smelly cans and cardboard.
    — Luke O'Neil, Esquire, 21 July 2017
  • The public bathrooms were smelly, and the beach could get dicey at night.
    — Chris Wright, Outside Online, 8 Aug. 2019
  • This 5-in-1 dog wash is the key to getting rid of smelly dog smells.
    — The Salt Lake Tribune, 28 Oct. 2022
  • Be sure to change the water every day or so, or things will get slimy and smelly.
    — Aliza Abarbanel, Bon Appétit, 22 Apr. 2020
  • Dispose of any smelly garbage or sticky residues, as these can attract flies and ants.
    — Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 25 June 2026
  • Freshen Shoes Don’t give up on your smelly shoes yet.
    — Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 20 June 2026
  • Lighting up a big smelly joint may, let’s hope, come to be seen as simply gauche.
    — Robin Abrahams, BostonGlobe.com, 19 June 2018
  • Avoid adding smelly meats, fruit rinds or other sweet-smelling food scraps to your compost.
    — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The fresh scent can also help improve a smelly compost area.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2026
  • To be clear, none of the smelly spots actually smell like weed.
    — Brooke Edwards Staggs, Orange County Register, 3 Apr. 2017
  • Take these easy steps to help prevent this smelly and common problem.
    — Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2021
  • Also crass, and amusing, was a rap song about a smelly Uber ride.
    — Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2018
  • Your smelly trash could also attract ants and other pests.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2025
  • The scent has been compared to smelly socks, a rotting carcass or worse.
    — oregonlive.com, 10 July 2019
  • Put them to work in another recipe or to clean your kitchen’s smelliest spots.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 23 Feb. 2026
  • The sweet, smelly medley of hay, dirt and manure drifting from the barn.
    — Dionne Searcey, New York Times, 13 May 2020
  • Follow along for our guide on how to prevent and treat a smelly bathroom sink drain.
    — Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2023
  • Some states have taken measures to fight back against the smelly, harmful tree.
    — Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 18 Mar. 2024
  • And our furniture needs to be out, too, because the job makes a huge, smelly mess.
    — Marni Jameson, OrlandoSentinel.com, 19 Oct. 2017
  • But why save nasty, smelly birds that have been considered ill omens for hundreds of years?
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smelly.' 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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