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.

Buying perfume online can be a gamble: Unless shoppers have smelled the fragrance in real life, they have to buy it without testing.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

In another scene, they dab Mama’s rose water on their wrists and imagine “that this is what Cleopatra or Nefertiti must have smelled like.”

From New York Times • Jun. 6, 2023

"When you have smelled and seen death and hopelessness, then you will search for peace with all the might that you have," said the woman, who did not want to give her name.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2023

Because this was made of meat, it would have smelled bad as it decayed – it shrank and became really gross, but the photos looked great.

From The Guardian • Sep. 26, 2019

An idea of what the city must have smelled like during its hot and humid summers is suggested by the goings- on at Giesboro Point Cavalry Depot, just south of Washington.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly