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smell

[smel] / smɛl /






Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

I immediately spotted a reply saying the user could practically smell the place just by seeing a picture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

This week, a grey haze hangs over Delhi, along with a distinct smoky smell that residents unwillingly recognise.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

I mean, you can make the argument that smell is actually more important for your survival, but we’re not talking about survival here.

From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026

What has changed is what we ask of smell.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

I could smell his breath and see the red around the sides of his eyes.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Both authors ask what happened to the smells that once filled everyday life, but they approach the question differently.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Of particular importance were genes responsible for odorant receptors, which enable ants to detect and respond to smells.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

"We have just been walking around, looking at the people and the atmosphere, and you can feel that the air is completely different. Everything smells of freedom."

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

This game smells of a really obvious 1-1 draw to me too.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

I know from experience that it smells way better than that nasty institutional soap.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

“It confirmed what the market already smelled: The calculus has shifted towards peace and lower prices at home.”

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

It was a cool, rainy morning and the trail, mostly deserted, smelled fresh and funky, like wet moss, gloopy mud and damp leaves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

The haze can be smelled even indoors in the city of about 700,000 people.

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026

“I saw thick smoke and smelled a strong odor of gunpowder,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

It smelled like rotting meat and sour ale, worse than a troll’s breath.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

As the state has relied heavily on its water, native fish such as Chinook salmon, steelhead trout and longfin smelt have declined.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

With the Springboks dominating in the basics, the crowd in Cape Town smelt blood as the lead stretched to 17-7.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Various types of native fish have suffered declines, including steelhead trout, white sturgeon and longfin smelt.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

Look no further than GameStop’s $56 billion bid for eBay, which is the equivalent of a smelt swallowing a whale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

He smelt the scent of coal and ashes and heard fire roaring.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Mr. Berge is less interested in such practical applications than in the embodied experience of smelling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

The Seahawks, defending Super Bowl champions, got a collective whiff of smelling salts before Sunday’s game, having suffered an embarrassing loss at Washington a week earlier.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

A citizens' group said on social media that one resident in the street where the explosion happened had alerted authorities after smelling a possible gas leak.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

Cats displayed this response more often when smelling unfamiliar urine than when smelling their own.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

Probably every house in the neighborhood but ours will be smelling the same right about now.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman


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