How to Use smell in a Sentence

smell

1 of 2 verb
Definition of smellnext
Synonyms for smellnext
  • Can't you smell the profits?
  • She leaned over and smelled the flowers.
  • This car smells like mold.
  • I think I smell gas.
  • I have a cold right now so I can't smell.
  • I could smell dinner cooking.
  • I can't smell anything because I'm so stuffed up.
  • The cake was delicious and made the house smell so good.
    — Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2023
  • If the sponge smells funky, that's another sign to toss it.
    — Alyssa Hui, Health, 6 Sep. 2023
  • The candle smells amazing and the glass jar is gorgeous!
    — Naydeline Mejia, Women's Health, 2 Sep. 2023
  • A little bit on the pulse points and say hello to your best smelling self.
    — Jasmine Gomez, Women's Health, 29 Aug. 2023
  • Give them an extra boost and keep them smelling fresh with this hair and body mist.
    — Claire Rutter, Rolling Stone, 12 Dec. 2023
  • In some areas, the smoke is so dense that people can smell it in the air and the skies appear hazy.
    — Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 6 June 2023
  • The Mokara scent, a fan-favorite, smells of orchid, white lily, and spring moss.
    — Brittney Morgan, housebeautiful.com, 5 May 2023
  • They can be smelled, squeezed, and even tossed around in the air due to their lightweight and soft texture.
    — Mary K. Tatum, Ms, Verywell Health, 5 July 2023
  • Soft, smooth, shiny hair that looks healthy and smells like sweet prickly pear.
    — Rebecca Norris, Peoplemag, 4 Oct. 2023
  • Your kitchen will smell amazing as the meat roasts all afternoon in the oven.
    — Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2023
  • If the water doesn’t look or smell right, trust your instinct.
    — Primrose Freestone, CNN, 17 Apr. 2023
  • What used to smell like teen spirit has turned to a mid-forties funk.
    — Chloe Berger, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
  • Our testing kids’ breath smelled good when they were done.
    — Jessica Booth, Parents, 10 Mar. 2024
  • The days are getting longer, the air smells like sunscreen and bug spray and ice cream shops are back open for the season.
    — USA TODAY, 18 June 2023
  • The house would smell like flowers and there would be music playing and my mom would be in the best mood.
    — Iman Hariri-Kia, Harper's BAZAAR, 20 Mar. 2023
  • She’s opened the window so her parents don’t smell the smoke, and the cold of the night comes in and settles on our faces and arms.
    — Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
  • The star was in good spirits as he was seen stopping to smell the flowers.
    — Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2023
  • Ahhh yes, that will smell divine when mixed with notes of poop and spit up!
    — Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 14 Nov. 2023
  • But her mom, Emer, smells danger brewing and sets off to find her.
    — People Staff, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024
  • The spray smells floral-powdery, but also has tart notes of patchouli and cedar.
    — Philipp Wehsack, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2023
  • Not long after, a neighbor spied the smoke behind the house and smelled the chicken.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2023
  • So, wake up and smell the coffee, and clean that coffee maker today!
    — USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
  • At Caesars Atlantic City, whose ground floor has slot machines glowing as far as the eye can see, visitors can still smell the smoke from some non-smoking sections.
    — Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
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smell

2 of 2 noun
  • Dogs have a keen sense of smell.
  • Gone was the bustle of Dakar, the crowds, noise, and smells of the city.
    — J.r. Patterson, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Dec. 2023
  • Outside, the air was heavy with the smell of smoke and death.
    — Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023
  • The soldiers give off a smell that reminds me of coffins.
    — Mosab Abu Toha, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
  • Sewage seeped out, and the smell was a real appetite killer.
    — Dave Lieber, Dallas News, 18 Sep. 2023
  • The smell of mingled Sol de Janeiro body sprays wafting in the air.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 12 Jan. 2024
  • His entire coat scorched from the flames and covered with the smell of thick smoke.
    — NBC News, 15 Aug. 2023
  • None of them get to vote in Arizona and their support doesn’t pass the smell test.
    — Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
  • The sound of tumbling ice fades, but the smell of a strong French roast only grows stronger.
    — Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 17 Sep. 2023
  • Now the pop star will find out whether his sense of smell gains the same sort of following.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2023
  • What to Consider The people around you may not like the smell.
    — Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 23 Jan. 2024
  • This will leave an unpleasant taste/smell on the leaves.
    — oregonlive, 3 June 2023
  • The scent is strong, so this isn’t a great choice for anyone who doesn’t love the smell of coconut.
    — Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 22 July 2023
  • It’s got that new phone smell and a spotless bright screen that puts a smile on your face.
    — Kurt Knutsson, Fox News, 26 Oct. 2023
  • The air was thick with the sweet smell of spawning bream, and the creek bottom was pockmarked with bream beds.
    — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 6 Aug. 2023
  • Walking in, you’re met with the smells of the juicy, tender bits of meat and garlic hitting the grill.
    — Isa Zapata, Bon Appétit, 3 Oct. 2023
  • The burning smell wasn’t the smoldering sea eel but the demise of the sushi patriarchy.
    — Adam Erace, Travel + Leisure, 14 Oct. 2023
  • The morning of January 6th, the -- the smell in the air smelt like chaos, and that's exactly what the day turned out to be.
    — ABC News, 7 Jan. 2024
  • There was shelling and shooting nearby, and the smell of death and gunpowder hung in the air.
    — Loay Ayyoub, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2023
  • Mix in cocoa powder to bring chocolate desserts to life with all the smells of the season.
    — Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 24 Nov. 2023
  • He’s been battling a persistent cough and keeps the fan on full blast to chase off a smell of mildew.
    — Helen Li, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2023
  • There’s no mistaking the smell and taste of this powder.
    — Kelsey Kunik, Rd, Health, 29 Dec. 2023
  • If the smells of the kitchen didn’t get your attention, the excitement from the living room would.
    — Various Staff Writers, Special Correspondents, and Special Contributors, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Dec. 2023
  • On her way up, Sara was met with a horrible smell and stopped.
    — Dateline Nbc, NBC News, 10 May 2023
  • The floating smells of her cooking were vile, stews that smacked of potions.
    — Cynthia Ozick, The New Yorker, 24 July 2023
  • The smell of the cigarette gave Frances a sudden longing.
    — Mary Costello, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2023
  • Keep in Mind Their scent has a more chemical-like smell, which may be off-putting.
    — Jessica Comstock, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Oct. 2023
  • The furniture is broken, the walls are stained, the carpets are torn, and the smell is unbearable.
    — Kurt Knutsson, Fox News, 3 Nov. 2023
  • That can look like a fear of texture, [or] different aversions to smells.
    — Rachel Wenzlaff, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
  • The smell of mothballs wafts from the interior, the ghost of the paradichlorobenzene used decades ago to keep beetles and other pests away from the precious collection.
    — Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024

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