smelling salts

American  

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. a preparation for smelling, essentially of ammonium carbonate with some agreeable scent, used as a stimulant and restorative.

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smelling salts British  

plural noun

1. a pungent preparation containing crystals of ammonium carbonate that has a stimulant action when sniffed in cases of faintness, headache, etc

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Etymology

Origin of smelling salts

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

The noted Roman naturalist and historian was indeed an early expert in fermentation, yet he also wrote about “sal ammoniac” — yes, smelling salts — in his encyclopedic work “Natural History,” published in 79 A.D.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

“The use of smelling salts in sports is definitely not their intended use,” Dr. Laura Boxley, a neuropsychologist at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center, told NPR.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

These days, the Federal Aviation Administration requires that U.S. airlines carry smelling salts onboard in case a pilot needs to be awakened after fainting.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

"We'd be given smelling salts, sponge on the neck, back out and play," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2025

Every so often she’d lift a vial and swirl it, then walk to Miss Peregrine and pass it under her beak—much the way smelling salts are waved under the nose of someone who’s fainted.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs