What does "smelt" mean?
Any small anadromous fish of the family Osmeridae, found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and in lakes in North America and northern part of Europe.
Smelt
/smɛlt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any small anadromous fish of the family Osmeridae, found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and in lakes in North America and northern part of Europe.
- Grammar: smelt is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: bar, carve, chisel, colliquate.
- Useful contrasts: cool, harden, ignore.
- Usage evidence: The instant he opened the door, he smelt something burning.
How to use "smelt"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "smelt" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "smelt" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "smelt" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "smelt" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "smelt" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bar" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "smelt", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any small anadromous fish of the family Osmeridae, found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and in lakes in North America and northern part of Europe.
- 2 Production of metal, especially iron, from ore in a process that involves heating and chemical reduction of metal compounds into purified metal. countable, uncountable
- 3 small trout-like silvery marine or freshwater food fishes of cold northern waters wordnet
- 4 A fool; a simpleton. obsolete
"These direct Men, they are no Men of fashion, Talk what you will, this is a very Smelt"
- 5 Any of the various liquids or semi-molten solids produced and used during the course of such production. countable, uncountable
"1982, Raymond E. Kirk and Donald F. Othmer, Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Wiley, →ISBN, page 405, The green liquor, ie, [sic] the solution obtained on dissolving the smelt, contains an insoluble residue called dregs, which gives it a dark green appearance."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 small cold-water silvery fish; migrate between salt and fresh water wordnet
Verb
- 1 simple past and past participle of smell form-of, participle, past
- 2 To produce metal, especially iron, from ore in a process that involves heating and chemical reduction of metal compounds into purified metal.
- 3 extract (metals) by heating wordnet
Example
"The instant he opened the door, he smelt something burning."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "smelt"?
Common synonyms include: bar, carve, chisel, colliquate, convert, cultivate.
How do you use "smelt" in a sentence?
The instant he opened the door, he smelt something burning.
How do you pronounce "smelt"?
Pronounced /smɛlt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English smelt, from Old English smelt, from Proto-Germanic *smeltaz.
Etymology 2
From very early Middle English smel; likely to derive from Old English, but not recorded.
Etymology 3
From Middle Dutch smelten (“to melt”) or Middle Low German smelten (“to melt”), from Old Dutch *smeltan or Old Saxon smeltan, both from Proto-West Germanic *smeltan, from Proto-Germanic *smeltaną (“to melt”). Related to English melt and Old English meltan (“to melt”). Cognate to Dutch smelten, German schmelzen.