odor
Americannoun
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odors
plural
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the property of a substance that activates the sense of smell.
to have an unpleasant odor.
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a sensation perceived by the sense of smell; scent.
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an agreeable scent; fragrance.
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a disagreeable smell.
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a quality or property characteristic or suggestive of something.
An odor of suspicion surrounded his testimony.
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repute.
in bad odor with the whole community.
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Archaic. something that has a pleasant scent.
noun
Synonym Usage
Odor, smell, scent, stench all refer to sensations perceived through the nose by the olfactory nerves. Odor and smell in literal contexts are often interchangeable. Figuratively, odor also usually occurs in positive contexts: the odor of sanctity. Smell is the most general and neutral of these two terms, deriving connotation generally from the context in which it is used: the tempting smell of fresh-baked bread; the rank smell of rotting vegetation. In figurative contexts smell may be either positive or negative: the sweet smell of success; a strong smell of duplicity pervading the affair. Scent refers either to delicate and pleasing aromas or to faint, barely perceptible smells: the scent of lilacs on the soft spring breeze; deer alarmed by the scent of man. Stench is strongly negative, referring both literally and figuratively to what is foul, sickening, or repulsive: the stench of rotting flesh; steeped in the stench of iniquity and treason.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of odor
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin
Explanation
An odor is anything you can smell — like a scent or an aroma. If you sniff a sour odor in your gallon of milk, you should probably pour it down the sink instead of drinking it. Most people are more likely to use the word odor for unpleasant smells, like the odor of your uncle's stinky cigars or the musty odor in your grandmother's attic. You can also use the word odor in a figurative way, to mean a feeling or impression given by something: "The whole bank seemed full of the odor of money and greed." Odor is Latin, meaning "a smell or a scent."
Vocabulary lists containing odor
"Dogs at Work"
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4-letter words, List 1
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 7
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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.
See Examples For:
The South Coast Air Quality Management District’s hearing board, a five-member committee tasked with deciding enforcement matters, voted unanimously to impose more than 90 measures to strengthen odor mitigation efforts and cleanup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Military-grade mosquito spray, with its odor of kerosene and bad cheese, perfumed the air.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
He said when fire and police personnel searched the mall after the explosion, a gas odor filled the building.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The fines from the county’s Department of Public Health also come about a week after air quality regulators issued a series of violations due to the odor coming from the facility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Evidently Joe’s smoke bombs were the type that splatted and set off smoke instantly, because Chess’s next breath brought in an ashy odor.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
He said the company was spending $1 million a day to get rid of the food, haul it to landfills and tamp down odors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The display also said the company had refused to address unsanitary conditions, including odors and the spread of flies and rodents into nearby properties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Less than 1% reported “noticing odors once per day or less,” the department said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
In 1947, after reports of strong odors were reported, a huge crowd on the street watched as police and city officials pried their way inside to look for the brothers’ bodies.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Finding it was slightly more difficult than usual, as there were so many other, fresher odors in the woods.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
