smell
smell Lexical Profile
smell Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The faculty or power of perceiving odors or scents by means of the organs in the nose.
"Dogs have an extraordinarily acute sense of smell that allows them to track trails over long distances."
A quality in a substance or object that is perceived by the nose; an odor or scent (sometimes specifically an unpleasant one).
"The welcoming smell of freshly baked bread drifted out of the neighborhood bakery."
An act of inhaling in order to perceive or test the odor of something.
"She took a quick smell of the milk carton to check whether it had spoiled."
• verb
To perceive or detect the odor or scent of something through the nose.
"I could smell smoke coming from the kitchen before the alarm went off."
To emit or give off a particular odor or scent.
"The garden smells wonderful after an evening rain."
To emit a strong, foul, or unpleasant odor.
"The garbage bin will begin to smell if we do not empty it soon."
To detect, suspect, or sense the presence of something by intuition or subtle signs.
"The experienced auditor could smell fraud as soon as she reviewed the financial statements."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as a linking verb to describe how something smells (e.g., 'the soup smells good'), it takes an adjective rather than an adverb. However, when used without a modifier ('that cheese smells'), it implies emitting a foul or unpleasant odor.
• Rhymes for smell
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English smellen, related to Middle Dutch smellen and Middle Low German smelen ('to smolder, reek'), likely deriving from a West Germanic root referring to smoke, vapor, or burning.