smell
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to perceive the odor or scent of through the nose by means of the olfactory nerves; inhale the odor of.
I smell something burning.
-
to test by the sense of smell.
She smelled the meat to see if it was fresh.
-
to perceive, detect, or discover by shrewdness or sagacity.
The detective smelled foul play.
verb (used without object)
-
to perceive something by its odor or scent.
-
to search or investigate (followed by around orabout ).
-
to give off or have an odor or scent.
Do the yellow roses smell?
-
to give out an offensive odor; stink.
-
to have a particular odor (followed byof ).
My hands smell of fish.
-
to have a trace or suggestion (followed byof ).
-
Informal. to be of inferior quality; stink.
The play is good, but the direction smells.
-
Informal. to have the appearance or a suggestion of guilt or corruption.
They may be honest, but the whole situation smells.
noun
-
the sense of smell; faculty of smelling.
-
the quality of a thing that is or may be smelled; odor; scent.
-
a trace or suggestion.
-
an act or instance of smelling.
-
a pervading appearance, character, quality, or influence.
the smell of money.
verb phrase
-
smell out to look for or detect as if by smelling; search out.
to smell out enemy spies.
-
smell up to fill with an offensive odor; stink up.
The garbage smelled up the yard.
idioms
verb
-
(tr) to perceive the scent or odour of (a substance) by means of the olfactory nerves
-
(copula) to have a specified smell; appear to the sense of smell to be
the beaches smell of seaweed
some tobacco smells very sweet
-
to emit an odour (of)
the park smells of flowers
-
(intr) to emit an unpleasant odour; stink
-
to detect through shrewdness or instinct
-
(intr) to have or use the sense of smell; sniff
-
to give indications (of)
he smells of money
-
(intr; foll by around, about, etc) to search, investigate, or pry
-
(copula) to be or seem to be untrustworthy or corrupt
-
to detect something suspicious
noun
-
that sense (olfaction) by which scents or odours are perceived
-
anything detected by the sense of smell; odour; scent
-
a trace or indication
-
the act or an instance of smelling
Synonym Usage
See odor.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
smellableadjective
-
outsmellverb (used with object)
-
smell-lessadjective
-
unsmelledadjective
-
unsmellingadjective
-
smellernoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has smelledperfect 3rd person singular
-
has smeltperfect 3rd person singular
-
have smelledperfect
-
have smeltperfect
-
am smellingprogressive 1st person singular
-
have been smellingperfect progressive
-
is smellingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
smellssingular 3rd person
-
has been smellingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
are smellingprogressive
-
smellingparticiple
Past
-
had smeltperfect
-
had smelledperfect
-
had been smellingperfect progressive
-
was smellingprogressive singular
-
were smellingprogressive plural
-
smelledsimple
-
smeltsimple
-
smelledparticiple
-
smeltparticiple
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing smell
Smell Words
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!
Vocabulary from Readings 1, Unit 4
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!
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.
The island's distinctive white colour comes from bird droppings - also known as guano - which coat the surface and give it a distinctive smell.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Dry roast the lentils in a pan over medium heat until they turn golden-yellow and smell nutty and toasty.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026
This does smell quite dirty, and we look forward to learning more about it.
From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026
In a separate statement Tuesday, the Orange County Healthcare Agency said residents might smell odors Thursday and Friday related to the removal of the chemical from the damaged tank.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
They feed on seals, and because hunters always smell of seals, the bears think they are seals and track them down.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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.
