plural smelts or smelt
: any of a family (Osmeridae) of small bony fishes that closely resemble the trouts in general structure, live along coasts and ascend rivers to spawn or are landlocked, and have delicate oily flesh with a distinctive odor and taste
smelted; smelting; smelts
1
: to melt or fuse (a substance, such as ore) often with an accompanying chemical change usually to separate the metal
smelt
3 of 3chiefly British past participle of smell entry 1
Examples of smelt in a Sentence
Verb
the process used for smelting iron ore
Recent Examples on the Web
Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024
Longfin smelt are the sixth fish species in the bay estuary to be added to the federal endangered species list.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2024
Reuters, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024
At the Venice Film Festival, where The Brutalist premiered (and Corbet won the Silver Lion award for best director), sequences capturing the sounds and textures of industrial America—the clang of steel girders, the roar of a smelting furnace—drew audible gasps.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for smelt 
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.
Noun
Pumping to supply farms and cities has contributed to the ecological degradation of the Delta, where threatened and endangered fish species include steelhead trout, two types of Chinook salmon, longfin smelt, Delta smelt and green sturgeon.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024
Longfin smelt are the sixth fish species in the bay estuary to be added to the federal endangered species list.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2024
Verb
The state civil protection office said in a social media post that the blast was likely caused after smelting apparatus collapsed.
—Reuters, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024
At the Venice Film Festival, where The Brutalist premiered (and Corbet won the Silver Lion award for best director), sequences capturing the sounds and textures of industrial America—the clang of steel girders, the roar of a smelting furnace—drew audible gasps.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for smelt
Articles Related to smelt
Dictionary Entries Near smelt
Cite this Entry
“Smelt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smelt. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
smelt
1 of 2 noun
plural smelts or smelt
: any of several very small food fishes that look like the related trouts and live in fresh water or in coastal sea waters
smelt
2 of 2 verb1
: to melt (as ore) usually in order to separate the metal
2
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share