perfume
Americannoun
-
a substance, extract, or preparation for diffusing or imparting an agreeable or attractive smell, especially a fluid containing fragrant natural oils extracted from flowers, woods, etc., or similar synthetic oils.
-
the scent, odor, or volatile particles emitted by substances that smell agreeable.
- Antonyms:
- stench
verb (used with object)
-
(of substances, flowers, etc.) to impart a pleasant fragrance to.
-
to impregnate with a sweet odor; scent.
noun
-
a mixture of alcohol and fragrant essential oils extracted from flowers, spices, etc, or made synthetically, used esp to impart a pleasant long-lasting scent to the body, stationery, etc See also cologne toilet water
-
a scent or odour, esp a fragrant one
verb
Synonym Usage
Perfume, aroma, fragrance all refer to agreeable odors. Perfume often indicates a strong, rich smell, natural or manufactured: the perfume of flowers. Fragrance is usually applied to fresh, delicate, and delicious odors, especially from growing things: fragrance of new-mown hay. Aroma is restricted to a somewhat spicy smell: the aroma of coffee.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
perfumesimple
-
perfumessimple
-
have perfumedperfect
-
has perfumedperfect
-
am perfumingprogressive
-
are perfumingprogressive
-
is perfumingprogressive
-
have been perfumingperfect progressive
-
has been perfumingperfect progressive
Past
-
perfumedsimple
-
had perfumedperfect
-
was perfumingprogressive
-
were perfumingprogressive
-
had been perfumingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of perfume
First recorded in 1525–35; earlier parfume (noun), from Middle French parfum, noun derivative of parfumer (verb), from obsolete Italian parfumare (modern profumare ). See per-, fume
Explanation
That delicious mid-summer smell in the middle of a rose garden? You can call that its perfume. If you apply scented oil to your neck and wrists before leaving your house every the morning, you know what perfume is. Another kind of perfume is one that doesn't come in a bottle, like the smell of your mom's cinnamon rolls or the salty fragrance of the ocean after a storm. The earliest use of perfume in English specifically meant "the smell of something burning," and the Latin root is smoky as well: fumare means "to smoke" and per means "through."
Vocabulary lists containing perfume
The Nose Knows: Olfactory Vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Smell Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Unit 16
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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 Willy Chavarria show was air-conditioned, pumped with Xinú perfume and felt expensive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
The powder clings beautifully to potatoes before roasting, the dried dairy helping to encourage browning while the herbs perfume every bite.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
Before perfume, there was incense—in fact, the origin of the word perfume is per fumum, a Latin term meaning “through smoke.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
In March, Estee Lauder said it was in talks to acquire Spanish beauty group Puig, which sells perfume, fashion, makeup and skin-care products from brands including Carolina Herrera, Charlotte Tilbury, Byredo and Dr. Barbara Sturm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
To an untrained eye, the bottles would appear like simple vials of perfume.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
There are sections devoted to almost everything: fresh fish brought in that morning from the Gulf, dates from southern Iran, imported electronics, perfumes, household goods, and traditional Bandari clothing.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
The oil perfumes the whole pan with garlic and tomato while adding a subtle richness to the eggs themselves.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
At another wholesale mall, iridescent streamers and gold mirror balls hung from the ceiling of Wen Linpeng's shop selling colourful soap bars, perfumes and make-up products.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
Add “volatile organic compounds,” which come from cars, paints, industrial processing, perfumes, cleaning supplies — just open your cabinets and you’ll find some.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
The air was like a flower garden, filled with their perfumes.
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
John Lavelle exudes a perfumed whiff of modern camp in his portrayal of Orsini-Rosenberg, the fussy, backstabbing director of the Imperial Opera.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
This dish, colored with saffron and perfumed with warm spices, was inspired by a meal I recently enjoyed in Rafidi’s luxuriously updated restaurant, and shares his locavore approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
Great British Chefs specified that tonka’s “most distinctive feature” is their “enormous potency — heady vanilla flavours, with oily clove aromas, and perfumed magnolia, sandalwood notes.”
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025
People gather in crowds to pelt each other with perfumed, coloured powder called gulal.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2023
Linda stirred, woke up, stared for a few seconds bewilderedly at the Semi-finalists, then, lifting her face, sniffed once or twice at the newly perfumed air and suddenly smiled—a smile of childish ecstasy.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Its paprika and gentle heat bloom in the oven, perfuming everything around it.
From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2026
After some time in the oven, perfuming the entire house, the ham would emerge crispy and crackly on top—a perfect interplay of umami, sweetness, and spice.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025
When one skater went airborne for a tailslide, scraping the Pulaski stonework with the edge of his deck, Fuchs pointed an index finger upward as if the sound were perfuming the air.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 17, 2022
It’s not just about lighting a stick and perfuming your home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2022
But today, without floral shampoo and conditioner perfuming the air, I realized the cavernous room smelled like sawdust.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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.
