smell

Smell is the sense by which people take in scents through their nose, or an odor or the act of sensing or giving off an odor. (noun)

To smell means to take in or give off a scent. (verb)

An example of to smell is to breathe in the scent of fresh flowers.

See smell in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb smelled or Brit.smelt, smelling

to be or become aware of by means of the nose and the olfactory nerves; detect the scent or odor of
to sense the presence or existence of: to smell trouble
to test by the scent or odor; sniff: smell the milk to tell if it's sour

intransitive verb

to use the sense of smell; sniff: often with at or of
1. to have or emit a scent or odor: flowers that do not smell
2. to have or emit an unpleasant odor; stink
to have the odor or a suggestion (of): breath that smells of garlic
Informal
1. to lack ability, worth, etc.; be of poor quality
2. to be foul, corrupt, mean, etc.

noun

that one of the five senses of the body by which a substance is perceived through the chemical stimulation of the olfactory nerves in the nasal cavity by particles given off by that substance
the characteristic stimulation of any specific substance upon the olfactory nerves; odor; scent
an act of smelling
that which suggests the presence or existence of something; trace; suggestion

Related Forms:

See smell in American Heritage Dictionary 4

(smĕl)

verb smelled smelled or smelt (smĕlt), smell·ing, smells

verb, transitive

To perceive the scent of (something) by means of the olfactory nerves.
To sense the presence of by or as if by the olfactory nerves; detect or discover: We smelled trouble ahead. The committee tried to smell out corruption in law enforcement.

verb, intransitive

To use the sense of smell; perceive the scent of something.
To have or emit an odor: “The breeze smelled exactly like Vouvray—flowery, with a hint of mothballs underneath” (Anne Tyler).
To be suggestive; have a touch of something: a cave that smells of terror.
To have or emit an unpleasant odor; stink: This closet smells.
To appear to be dishonest; suggest evil or corruption.

noun

The sense by which odors are perceived; the olfactory sense.
That quality of something that may be perceived by the olfactory sense.
The act or an instance of smelling.
A distinctive enveloping or characterizing quality; an aura or trace: the smell of success.

Learn more about smell

» smell synonyms

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