plural smelts or smelt
: any of a family (Osmeridae) of small bony fishes that closely resemble the trouts in general structure, live along coasts and ascend rivers to spawn or are landlocked, and have delicate oily flesh with a distinctive odor and taste
smelted; smelting; smelts
1
: to melt or fuse (a substance, such as ore) often with an accompanying chemical change usually to separate the metal
smelt
3 of 3chiefly British past participle of smell entry 1
Examples of smelt in a Sentence
Verb
the process used for smelting iron ore
Recent Examples on the Web
Sara Dorn, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
For decades, however, the smelt have come to represent one thing to many farmers in the Central Valley: a competing demand on their supply of water for irrigation.
—Heather Knight, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Joseph Lawler, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 10 Feb. 2025
Regulations to prevent the delta smelt from going extinct have nothing to do with LA’s catastrophic fires.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
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Noun
Trump accused Newsom last week of mismanaging the state’s water flow by supporting a plan to divert some water from Northern California through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to preserve wildlife that live there, including smelt fish.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
For decades, however, the smelt have come to represent one thing to many farmers in the Central Valley: a competing demand on their supply of water for irrigation.
—Heather Knight, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
Trump has criticized Newsom’s administration for opposing his water management plans on the grounds of protecting the Delta smelt, an endangered species of fish.
—Joseph Lawler, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 10 Feb. 2025
Regulations to prevent the delta smelt from going extinct have nothing to do with LA’s catastrophic fires.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See all Example Sentences for smelt
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Cite this Entry
“Smelt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smelt. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
smelt
1 of 2 noun
plural smelts or smelt
: any of several very small food fishes that look like the related trouts and live in fresh water or in coastal sea waters
smelt
2 of 2 verb1
: to melt (as ore) usually in order to separate the metal
2
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