smell

American  

[smel] / smɛl /

verb (used with object)

smelled, smelt, smelling

1. to perceive the odor or scent of through the nose by means of the olfactory nerves; inhale the odor of.

   I smell something burning.

2. to test by the sense of smell.

   She smelled the meat to see if it was fresh.

3. to perceive, detect, or discover by shrewdness or sagacity.

   The detective smelled foul play.

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verb (used without object)

smelled, smelt, smelling

1. to perceive something by its odor or scent.

2. to search or investigate (followed by around orabout ).

3. to give off or have an odor or scent.

   Do the yellow roses smell?

4. to give out an offensive odor; stink.

5. to have a particular odor (followed byof ).

   My hands smell of fish.

6. to have a trace or suggestion (followed byof ).

7. Informal. to be of inferior quality; stink.

   The play is good, but the direction smells.

8. Informal. to have the appearance or a suggestion of guilt or corruption.

   They may be honest, but the whole situation smells.

noun

1. the sense of smell; faculty of smelling.

2. the quality of a thing that is or may be smelled; odor; scent.

3. a trace or suggestion.

4. an act or instance of smelling.

5. a pervading appearance, character, quality, or influence.

   the smell of money.

verb phrase

1. smell out to look for or detect as if by smelling; search out.

   to smell out enemy spies.

2. smell up to fill with an offensive odor; stink up.

   The garbage smelled up the yard.

idioms

1. smell a rat. rat.

smell British  

/ smɛl /

verb

1. (tr) to perceive the scent or odour of (a substance) by means of the olfactory nerves

2. (copula) to have a specified smell; appear to the sense of smell to be

   the beaches smell of seaweed

   some tobacco smells very sweet

3. to emit an odour (of)

   the park smells of flowers

4. (intr) to emit an unpleasant odour; stink

5. to detect through shrewdness or instinct

6. (intr) to have or use the sense of smell; sniff

7. to give indications (of)

   he smells of money

8. (intr; foll by around, about, etc) to search, investigate, or pry

9. (copula) to be or seem to be untrustworthy or corrupt

10. to detect something suspicious

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noun

1. that sense (olfaction) by which scents or odours are perceived

2. anything detected by the sense of smell; odour; scent

3. a trace or indication

4. the act or an instance of smelling

smell More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing smell

• come up (smelling like) roses
• stink (smell) to high heaven

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Related Words

See odor.

Other Word Forms

• outsmell verb (used with object)
• smell-less adjective
• smellable adjective
• smeller noun
• unsmelled adjective
• unsmelling adjective

Etymology

Origin of smell

First recorded in 1125–75; early Middle English smell, smull (noun), smellen, smullen (verb); origin uncertain.

Explanation

Smell is one of your five senses—the one you use your nose for. Dogs have such a sharp sense of smell that they can sniff out things like explosives and drugs. Your sense of smell gives you important information, like "this milk is sour," or "I need a shower." An individual odor or scent is also a smell, and to perceive it with your nose is to smell it. If someone says, "You smell," it's not a compliment—what they mean is, "You don't smell good." While experts believe that smell has an Old English root, it was never recorded.

Example Sentences

A declining sense of smell may be one of the earliest warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, appearing even before noticeable memory problems.

From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2026

She could smell the scent in her clothes and hair as she got off the plane.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

Astronaut Christina Koch said the so-called Universal Waste Management System was giving off "a burning heater smell."

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Begin with a modest roux — butter and flour, cooked together until they smell faintly nutty.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

Wolf left the Den and loped up to the ridge above the valley to catch the smell on the wind: a powerful smell of rotten prey like a very old kill -except that it moved.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Related Words

• aroma
• bouquet
• flavor
• perfume
• scent
• stench
• stink
• trace
• whiff