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.
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
No matter which condition they were in, people who were told they were smelling a stimulating scent showed changes in heart rate and skin conductance that indicated physiological arousal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2016
Bodega looked around and took a deep breath as if he were smelling a rose rather than Spanish Harlem air.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
