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Glite Dictionary
to scent out

to scent out

5.6
To find something by smell or by careful searching
  • phrasal verb
  • /sɛnt aʊt/
translation icon : olfatear
  • She can scent out the ripe berries even from a distance, thanks to her keen sense of smell.

Examples

  • Some of them are so alert they can scent out promising new writers.

    Blog text (28)

  • Dogs have an incredible ability to scent out hidden drugs and explosives during security checks.

  • Trained bloodhounds are able to scent out people lost in the wilderness by following their scent.

Synonyms

to smell
vsto scent out
∞ 1.0

To notice a scent with your nose

is about finding things by using the nose rather than only sensing odors
to detect
vsto scent out
763 3.2

Find something that is hard to notice

adds the idea of finding by smell rather than general detection
to sense
vsto scent out
629 4.2

To notice something by feeling or by using a tool

means finding or recognizing by smell rather than general awareness or tools
to discern
vsto scent out
70 5.8

To notice something that is hard to see or hear

focuses on identifying things by smell rather than through general senses
to sniff out
vsto scent out
  • Informal
15 4.0

Find something by searching, often by smell

emphasizes finding things by the sense of smell rather than by long investigation
to scent
vsto scent out
5 3.5

To use the sense of smell to find something, often by animals

is used more broadly to find or recognize things, not only animals
to nose
vsto scent out
3 5.0

To find something by sniffing around

is used for general discovery often by smell rather than close investigation
to snuff
vsto scent out
  • Archaic
3 7.9

To smell something quickly to see what it is

aims at finding or recognizing things rather than merely curious smelling
to smell out
vsto scent out
2 5.1

Find something hidden by noticing small signs

relies on the sense of smell, literally or figuratively, not on cleverness
to nose out
vsto scent out
  • Informal
1 6.9

Find something after careful searching

uses the nose to find things rather than relying only on long careful searching

Antonyms

to miss
518 1.7

To not notice or hear something important

to overlook
243 2.9

To not notice someone or something you should see

How Certain

to discover
∞ 1.0
to detect
763 3.2
to scent out
5.6
to notice
∞ 1.0
to suspect
925 3.6
to guess
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

scent out infinitive
scented out past
scented out past participle
scenting out present participle
scents out third person singular

Morphology

scent + out

The meaning 'to recognize or discover something by smell' is directly derivable from combining 'scent' (to detect by smell) with the particle 'out', which commonly marks locating or discovering. This is a compositional phrasal-verb pattern in English that a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer.

Etymology

Scent out comes from the image of a dog or hunter using a strong nose to follow a scent out to its source. Imagine the animal tracking the smell until it finds a hidden thing, so to scent out something means 'to find' or 'to discover' it, often as if by smell.