smell
verb (used with object)
to perceive the odor or scent of through the nose by means of the olfactory nerves; inhale the odor of.
were smelling
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past progressiveof smell.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
We might say, “When you spoke about your mother, your nose wrinkled up like you were smelling something bad. It was a look of disgust on your face.”
From Slate ● Jun. 20, 2022
Before I learned what anosmia was, I assumed, whenever people brought up the things they were smelling, that this was a skill I had yet to figure out, that I just wasn’t doing it right.
From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 2021
“It was like they were smelling each other. They’re feeling each other out. It just was electric because they hadn’t been in a room together and hadn’t been buddy-buddy,” Hancock said.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2021
"It's pretty intense," the "Dark Horse" singer says, causing Bryan, 43, to alert producers of the "heavy propane" they were smelling.
From Fox News ● Feb. 21, 2020
In the kitchen Will found the ingredients for a casserole of chicken and onions and peppers, but they hadn’t been cooked, and in the heat they were smelling bad.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
