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 At the hospital, the officer said Lopez smelled like alcohol and had red, watery eyes and his words were slurred. — Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026 The L'Occitane Jasmine & Bergamot products smelled good and did the job. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 In my early memories, my grandfather had smelled like carpet cleaner. — Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026 For Dylan Feierabend, there are few things more life-affirming than fishing for redtail surfperch and smelt at Centerville Beach in rural Humboldt County. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 Rather than projecting for others, these more subtle scents are meant to be smelled only by you and others who are lucky enough to get close. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 28 Sep. 2026 To a novice taster, sipping out of a plastic Mets carafe, the wine smelled like dry grass and very ripe blackberries. — Arthur Holland Michel, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 Daniel and two other men who also smelled the odor this summer haven’t detected it since. — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2026 Cozzi’s colleague eventually checked the office bathroom, which overwhelmingly smelled of cleaning products and alcohol. — Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 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 buck walked up to the dripper, sniffed it for a moment, and moved on.
    — Colin Moore, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Linebacker Chase Smith sniffed out the run and got the fourth-down stop.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of sniffed
Verb
  • Since Adebayo’s arrival in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft out of Kentucky, Haslem sensed that the chase would be on, as Adebayo kept hoarding boards and Haslem slowed toward retirement.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
  • But from the first lob Kessler caught from the star guard — when the team was playing pick up during a five-day trip in Slovenia this summer — the 25-year-old Atlanta native sensed something special building.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of sensed
Verb
  • Rows of bent heads gazing at their phone screens; each face replaced by a ray of light sucked towards the screen.
    — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The celebrities sucked up a lot of air, and so the show leaned in, switching to all-celebrity casts.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of sucked
Verb
  • And so, for the brand, only the most breathable, and healthily inhaled, natural materials will suffice.
    — Jaklin Romine Oct. 15, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Nevertheless, improper storage can have serious consequences, particularly if the thorium is inhaled or ingested.
    — Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of inhaled
Verb
  • The display recognizes a fear that has lingered in immigrant families, and a loss felt far beyond them.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Still, Flávio Bolsonaro presented a stark choice that for many environmentalists felt would put the Amazon and Brazil's overall environmental protections at risk.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 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
  • Meanwhile, companies are deploying AI agents by the thousand, and not one of them has read the company policy or heard the new local court ruling.
    — Daniel Kjellén, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Jurors also heard about Garza’s previous run-ins with law enforcement — and his family’s struggles to get help from the county with his mental health.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of heard
Verb
  • Darnold certainly noticed the mismatch when Smith-Njigba lined up against cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Either way, Steve Sarkisian has noticed something different about his quarterback this week, which also comes at a time of heightened criticism towards the Texas offense.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of noticed

Browse Nearby Words

smell
smelled
smelled (of)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Smelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelled. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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