scent

[ sent ]

/ sɛnt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scent ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a distinctive odor, especially when agreeable: the scent of roses.

an odor left in passing, by means of which an animal or person may be traced.

a track or trail as or as if indicated by such an odor: The dogs lost the scent and the prisoner escaped.

perfume.

the sense of smell: a remarkably keen scent.

small pieces of paper dropped by the hares in the game of hare and hounds.

verb (used with object)

to perceive or recognize by or as if by the sense of smell: to scent trouble.

to fill with an odor; perfume.

verb (used without object)

to hunt by the sense of smell, as a hound.

Nearby words

scenery, scenic, scenic railway, scenic reserve, scenography, scent, scent gland, scent mark, scent-mark, scented orchid, scepter

Origin of scent

1325–75; (v.) earlier sent, Middle English senten < Middle French sentir to smell < Latin sentīre to feel; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v. Cf. sense

SYNONYMS FOR scent

1 See odor.

7 smell, sniff.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scent ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

scent·less, adjectivescent·less·ness, nounnon·scent·ed, adjectiveout·scent, verb (used with object)

o·ver·scent·ed, adjectiveun·scent·ed, adjectivewell-scent·ed, adjective

Can be confused

cents scents sense

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scented

She was obsessed with the flower-printed, scented toilet paper.
How ‘Titanic ’Helped This Brave Young Woman Escape North Korea’s Totalitarian State|Lizzie Crocker|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tessie rose, unrolled her scented handkerchief, and taking a bit of gum from a knot in the hem, placed it in her mouth.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The fashionable gift was scented candles, some costing $150 each.
Up to a Point: 2013 in Review and Predictions for 2014|P. J. O’Rourke|January 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The buildings are scented with candles from high-end home furnishings brand Jonathan Adler.
SoulCycle Is a Booming Exercise Chain for the 1 Percent|Filipa Ioannou|July 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Our ritual duty of holiness satisfied after half an hour in the scented gothic air, there were more stops in bars.
A ‘Blue Velvet’ Christmas in Paris|Richard Woodward|December 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He laughed like a schoolboy in anticipation of a prank, and held his scented handkerchief to his nose.
El Dorado|Baroness Orczy
In half an hour the answer came back on scented paper, without an erasure anywhere, fragrant to smell, and beautiful to see.
Armadale|Wilkie Collins
Its scented binding and odorous pages form the choicest of his meals.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. III, No. XVII, October 1851|Various
The Duchess took some scented spirits and bathed his temples with it, although the youth tried respectfully to prevent her.
Isabella Orsini|Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi
As Michael pondered it, he scented an effluence of correctness that overpowered his individuality.
Sinister Street, vol. 2|Compton Mackenzie

British Dictionary definitions for scented

scent

/ (sɛnt) /

noun

a distinctive smell, esp a pleasant one

a smell left in passing, by which a person or animal may be traced

a trail, clue, or guide

an instinctive ability for finding out or detecting

another word (esp Brit) for perfume

verb

(tr) to recognize or be aware of by or as if by the smell

(tr) to have a suspicion of; detectI scent foul play

(tr) to fill with odour or fragrance

(intr) (of hounds, etc) to hunt by the sense of smell

to smell (at)the dog scented the air

Derived Forms

scented, adjectivescentless, adjectivescentlessness, noun

Word Origin for scent

C14: from Old French sentir to sense, from Latin sentīre to feel; see sense

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with scented

scent

see throw off, def. 3.