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smell

smell

721 1.0
A scent you notice with your nose
  • noun
  • /smɛl/
: olor
  • What's that smell?
  • smell of smoke
  • a strong smell
  • taste and smell

Oh OK this is my favorite smell so far.

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Examples

  • The smell of the future.

  • I love the smell of pine trees when I hike in the forest.

  • Oh OK this is my favorite smell so far.

  • There was the smell of smoke.

  • The smell of this place.

  • That smell of glue is beginning to drive me crazy.

  • The table was set for dinner, and the smell of roast beef permeated the air.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • It was a hot afternoon and I can still remember... the smell of honeysuckle all along that street.

  • I get out of my car, and the smell of doughnuts surrounds me like a hug.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The smell of freshly baked bread filled the entire house.

Synonyms

scent
vssmell
206 1.0

A pleasant smell from things like perfume or flowers

is the general term covering any quality or the action of perceiving
odor
vssmell
  • US
137 1.9

A strong or noticeable smell, often unpleasant like smoke

is the broad everyday word that also names the action
stench
vssmell
81 3.5

A very bad strong smell that makes you feel sick

is the general word that can cover mild or pleasant cases too
fragrance
vssmell
74 2.6

A pleasant sweet smell from flowers or perfume

is the neutral common word that does not stress pleasantness
aroma
vssmell
66 1.6

A pleasant smell that often comes from food, drink, or flowers

is the broad simple word used for both things and the act
whiff
vssmell
57 3.2

A short puff of air that carries a smell

is the basic word that does not imply brevity or lightness
perfume
vssmell
32 1.0

A pleasant smell that you notice and enjoy

is the general everyday term for the noun or the sensing action
smelling
vssmell
8 1.0

The act of noticing a scent with your nose

is also the everyday noun form as well as the action
pungent smell
vssmell
2 3.3

A strong sharp smell that makes your eyes water

is the neutral everyday word that can be pleasant or not
lingering smell
vssmell
1 3.2

A smell that stays for a long time

is the general term that does not specify how long it lasts
olfactory perception
vssmell
  • Specialized
1 6.6

The ability to notice and recognize smells with your nose

is the more general everyday term covering both process and noun
olfactory sensation
vssmell
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A feeling you have when you smell something

is the common simple word used outside technical contexts

Idioms

to smell blood
  • Informal
9 7.4

To see someone's weakness and act quickly to get an advantage

to smell fishy
  • Informal
5 6.8

To seem suspicious or dishonest

To take time to enjoy small pleasant things in life

Realize an unpleasant truth and stop ignoring it

3 7.8

Seem honest and believable when people check it

smell you later
  • Informal
3 9.9

To say goodbye in a playful, joking way

3 6.1

To appear in a good way after a problem

1 9.7

To feel the end of a trip or task is near

A sign that someone works late and studies hard, or the smell of an oil lamp

To have a strong, unpleasant scent of old heavy perfume and dampness

Compounds

The ability to notice and tell scents apart with the nose

A pleasant smell inside a brand new car

4 3.8

A quick check to see if something seems right, sometimes by its scent

A feeling that you have done well and feel proud

3 3.4

A bad, stale smell from damp or old things

A strong sharp smell that makes your eyes water

2 2.6

A strong unpleasant smell like fish

A way to make people smell scents while watching films or TV

A smell that stays for a long time

1 5.1

An unpleasant damp smell in places like basements or cellars

yucky smell
  • Informal
1 5.6

A strong, nasty smell like rotten food that makes you feel sick

dank smell
  • NSFW
1 9.6

A strong smell of cannabis smoke or buds

pestilential smell
  • Literature
1 9.4

A very strong bad air that makes you think of rotting things or disease

A feeling that something is fresh and new, not a real smell

How Strong

stench
81 3.5
reek
5 6.1
odor
  • US
137 1.9
smell
721 1.0
aroma
66 1.6
scent
206 1.0

Surface Forms

smell singular
smells plural

Etymology

Smell (an odor) comes from the old English verb smellan, meaning 'to sniff', so a 'smell' is simply what you notice with your nose.