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What is "smell"

Crossword clues for smell

smell
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
smell
I.noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a sense of smell/taste/touch etc
▪ We lose some of the sense of taste as we get older.
food smells good
▪ The food smelt good to her.
lingering smell/aroma/odour
▪ the lingering aroma of chocolate
look/taste/smell nice
▪ You look nice in that suit.
▪ Mm, something smells nice!
pungent smell/aroma/odour etc
▪ the pungent odour of garlic
rank smell/odour
▪ the rank odour of sweat and urine
sickly smell
▪ A sickly smell clung to his clothes and hair.
smell of perfume
▪ Her coat smelt of cheap perfume and cigarettes.
smelling salts
sound/taste/smell/feel etc great
▪ I worked out this morning and I feel great.
▪ You look great in that dress.
subtle taste/flavour/smell etc
▪ The flavour of the dried berries is more subtle.
sweet smell of success
▪ the sweet smell of success
the smell/scent of perfume
▪ The smell of perfume filled the air.
vile smell
▪ a vile smell
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
acrid
▪ The stuffiness in the hold was made worse by the acrid smell of unwashed bodies.
▪ The jute had an acrid smell that scooped up the rank aroma of moist earth as it leapt from the ground.
▪ He wrinkled his nose in distaste at the acrid smell of the place.
▪ The sharp, acrid male smell which rose from his hot skin filled my nostrils.
▪ These formulations are supplied in liquid form and are similar in texture to detergents although with a slightly acrid smell unless perfumed.
▪ The sharp acrid smell of gutters choked by the monsoon rain.
▪ Strong winds late Sunday blew hard south, sending the acrid smell of a campfire through much of Phoenix.
bad
▪ Some of the poor girls had a bad smell.
▪ The superintendent grimaced as though her nostrils had suddenly detected a bad smell.
▪ When they were full, the bad smell helped us find them at night without a flashlight.
▪ Sometimes Gina sat on the lavatory watching him and making a bad smell or laughing.
delicious
▪ The delicious smell was twisting his simple mind into knots of ravening hunger.
▪ Stafford opened the oven, releasing a burst of delicious smells.
▪ The warm, delicious smell of home baking emanating from the kitchen made Beth realise just how hungry she was.
▪ Coming home from school on a Friday afternoon, the delicious smell emanating from our kitchen permeated the entire tenement.
▪ Soon there are delicious smells wafting through the house.
▪ There was a delicious smell wafting from a pink hyacinth which was growing in a glass on the table at his side.
▪ But the bread oven conjures up delicious smells of baking and a homely warmth, missing in most modern homes.
▪ The fallout is the delicious smell of burgers and soggy onions that wafts tantalisingly across a crowd estimated at 42,000 by Jakki.
faint
▪ In my bed is a faint smell of excrement.
▪ There was a faint smell of hay in my room, even in that weather, even with the windows closed.
▪ A faint smell of frying bacon drifted up from the kitchen.
▪ As the steam drifted toward him, it seemed to bring with it a faint smell of meat.
▪ He detected the faint smell of blood just before the familiar but oddly stagnant odor of Jinju came rushing toward him.
▪ A faint smell of cooking emerged from the kitchen.
▪ Something somewhere in here may be rotting; there is a faint smell.
familiar
▪ The familiar smell of the dental surgery comes from oil of cloves, a component of some dental cements.
▪ Marie said, following Helen along the hallway with its familiar dank smell of musty horsehair and cedar and mothballs.
▪ The familiar frowsty smell compounded of soot and chicken meal met her.
▪ The most familiar popular smells are probably fresh coffee, newly mown grass, hyacinths and freshly baked bread.
▪ There was the old familiar smell of the oak tree shade.
▪ The first thing he noticed was the tang of disinfectant, mingled with the familiar smells of polish and coal ash.
▪ The familiar smell of the cottage soothed him as he opened the door.
fishy
▪ I was surprised that it didn't have a fishy smell.
musty
▪ After the crisp freshness of the shop, the flat had a musty stale smell.
▪ This, and the musty smell of books, was its chief attraction for Richard.
▪ There was a musty smell and a deep silence.
▪ There was a musty smell: it had not been opened for a decade.
▪ It was cold inside but the friar was pleased that it had lost its musty smell.
▪ It was a damp musty smell.
▪ It was very hot in the room already and there was a musty smell.
▪ No footmarks disturbed the dust, cobwebs hung like festoons and a strange musty smell pervaded the atmosphere.
pungent
▪ The leaves when crushed give out a pungent or acid smell.
▪ The air is pungent with the smell of garlic fresh from the ground.
▪ It was a creepy spot with a strong pungent smell of garlic and there was always a feeling of tension and foreboding.
▪ Candles flickered, incense burned in an unsuccessful attempt to cover the pungent smell of marijuana.
▪ My favourite was the lightly spiced Cape Malay Rooibos Chai which had a pungent smell and dark colour.
▪ Old oak has an honest, pungent, lusty smell as you would expect.
▪ A fox earth can be located from a considerable distance downwind by the pungent smell given off.
▪ A pungent smell of garlic filled the air.
rank
▪ The strange, rank smell was stronger than ever and after a few moments they all heard a heavy movement close by.
▪ Each step up the stairway was rank with smells.
▪ The night air had a rank sweaty smell like the distilled essence of anxiety.
▪ Everywhere was the rank smell of copra drying.
rich
▪ And the rich, savoury smell of the hare drifted down to meet her, turning her stomach.
▪ Mungo breathed in the rich animal smell as they followed Mr Zamoyski through to the back room.
▪ He had toyed with the fantasy of sleeping with her; the rich smell aroused him.
▪ The alleys between them were dark and damp, rich with the smell of onions hung from the eaves.
▪ The rich loamy smell of the fen autumn night washed over his face; strong, yet fresh.
▪ All had the same rich, opulent smell as Cowslip.
▪ There was a rich and spicy smell.
▪ At last they stopped, lying together, smelling the rich smell, feeling their sweat grow chill on them.
sickly
▪ When the wind was in the west a sickly smell floated over the pits.
▪ It was hot and jammed and the air was redolent with the sickly sweet smell of cheap champagne.
▪ The sickly-sweet smell of sewage from leaking pipes mingles with the scent of fresh cherry blossom.
▪ He hadn't shaved for a few days and a sickly smell clung to his clothes and hair.
▪ As usual, it was the strange smell that repelled him - a sweet sickly smell that he couldn't identify.
sour
▪ He moved around, inspecting each body carefully, holding his breath against the sour smell of corruption.
▪ He hated the sour smell and atmosphere of the club, where chairs had been pushed back to create a studio floor.
▪ After he had gone I found that my nightie was covered in a horrible sticky mess with a strange sour smell.
▪ It was a sour smell, but good.
▪ Even through her perfume she could still detect the sour smell of the sheets.
▪ She has the basement flat and it's always got this sour damp smell even though she burns joss sticks all day long.
▪ There was a sour smell and the growing heat of the sun was sucking up a mist from the waters.
▪ There was a dank, sour smell to everything, a smell of decay and great antiquity.
stale
▪ It had the slightly stale smell of such untended places.
▪ After the crisp freshness of the shop, the flat had a musty stale smell.
▪ The scent of rose water hung in the air, covering the stale smell of pipe tobacco and strong drink.
▪ The stale smell of socks and the constant din contributed to the normal post-gymnastic atmosphere.
▪ Rain recognized the stale smell, and her glance went to the half-open shutters.
strange
▪ He became suddenly aware of a strange, unpleasant smell.
▪ I had six sisters, so there were enough strange smells in the house as it was.
▪ There was a strange mixture of smells in the room, soap and bread and beef gravy.
▪ New York was not behind the times in strange smells.
▪ After he had gone I found that my nightie was covered in a horrible sticky mess with a strange sour smell.
▪ The strange, rank smell was stronger than ever and after a few moments they all heard a heavy movement close by.
▪ The infirmary was quiet like the chapel and had a strange smell.
▪ I smelt ... strange new smells.
strong
▪ When I was a kid I loved the seashore for its mix of beautiful, subtle colours and strong smells.
▪ A strong smell of brimstone was noticed after the fall.
▪ My hair had more shine than before and I found it left a stronger smell than other conditioners which I really liked.
▪ The stronger the smell gets, the more I want to get out, he said.
▪ Classes gathered round the pipe stoves which gave out a strong smell of soot.
▪ It was a strong smell, and it was getting stronger by the second.
▪ It was a creepy spot with a strong pungent smell of garlic and there was always a feeling of tension and foreboding.
▪ Nobody ever told me that freshly spilled blood has such a strong smell.
sweet
▪ The air was thick with sawdust and the sweet smell of freshly cut wood.
▪ The suppressed sound of the gunfire was still in his ears, and the sweet cordite smell hung at his nostrils.
▪ Today, the sick sweet smell from the chemical company in the industrial part of town seems especially bad.
▪ The rain had stopped and the air was filled with the sweet smell of freshly washed earth.
▪ It was hot and jammed and the air was redolent with the sickly sweet smell of cheap champagne.
▪ At once the room was filled with the sweet, fresh smell of mint.
▪ Without the bags, blood drained on the deck and filled the Huey with a sweet smell, a horribly recognizable smell.
unpleasant
▪ This is generally caused by a decomposing body or bodies polluting the water and is usually accompanied by an unpleasant smell.
▪ Aside from the unpleasant smell, not much had changed.
▪ He was conscious of feeling cold in the van and of the unpleasant smell of petrol.
▪ In spite of the name, the flower does not have an unpleasant smell.
▪ He became suddenly aware of a strange, unpleasant smell.
▪ An unpleasant smell seemed to waft from the airline bag Mary always carried to school.
▪ Such formulations are identified by a not unpleasant sweet smell.
▪ Consequently the streets of these poorer areas are strewn with rubbish and in hot weather there is frequently a most unpleasant smell.
■ VERB
fill
▪ The sludge in the Cuisinart fills the condo with smells I remember from nature trails of my childhood.
▪ The night was fine and the room was filled with the sweet smell of the flowers outside.
▪ Behind the back-to-backs, a bruised industrial sky blackens, and fills with cooking smells, and rains.
▪ Our tack room is filled with the smell of leather and saddle soap.
linger
▪ The smells lingered faintly to enchant the air even at this time of year, but the mystery of childhood had vanished.
▪ The onion smell still lingered, sharp and pungent.
▪ The smell of Warsaw lingers as that of coal.
▪ A musk smell lingered on Groves' sleeve, from where the female snake had curled around his arm.
▪ He rolls off me and passes out on the pillow, the smell of his drunkenness lingering like something live.
notice
▪ It took him only seconds to notice the smell.
▪ Last night I noticed a new smell in the house.
▪ Did you notice the smell in there?
▪ After a year his wife still appeared not to have noticed the smell of another woman on her husband's face.
remember
▪ I still remember the smell of that cool dirt.
▪ She remembered the smell of the carpets.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
come out of sth/come up smelling of roses
horsey face/smell etc
▪ They gave off a pungent, horsey smell, as if freshly cut.
wake up and smell the coffee
▪ While the field has changed with rent control nearly quashed, wake up and smell the coffee of a new day.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ A mole finds its food by smell alone.
▪ Each wine has its own unique flavor and smell.
▪ I really hate the smell of stale beer.
▪ Perfectly pure water has no smell.
▪ The smells of dead fish and rotting garbage were more than he could stand.
▪ The food looked good, but the smell was awful.
▪ The wonderful smells from the kitchen made her mouth water.
▪ There's a smell in here - open the window.
▪ There was a bad smell coming from the cupboard.
▪ We had the carpet cleaned, but we couldn't get rid of the musty smell.
▪ What's that smell? Is something burning?
▪ Where's that smell coming from?
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A little while later; his eyes shot open with the smell of frying meat.
▪ And it's not just the dizzying development and the smell of money that pervades the downtown area.
▪ Rain wet de bags and de onions tek up a smell.
▪ The stench of the floor was close to him, the smell of vomit and of urine.
▪ The stuffiness in the hold was made worse by the acrid smell of unwashed bodies.
▪ There was the smell of fermenting has and citrus blossoms and ginger lilies and bonemeal and sulphur-coated urea.
▪ When I was a kid I loved the seashore for its mix of beautiful, subtle colours and strong smells.
II.verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
almost
▪ You can almost smell them now.
▪ Nevertheless, he could almost smell the stench of fear: the house was too quiet.
▪ You could almost smell the fear in their voices.
▪ You can almost smell them just by looking at them.
so
▪ Perhaps that's why it smells so terrible in there.
▪ It was not only stiff and cracked and stained, but it smelled so bad that he had to hold his breath.
▪ Jim put his arms around me and I staggered out into the night, which smelled so good.
still
▪ I could still smell it, and his breath and his sweat.
▪ For days, every time you step outside, you can still smell the smoke from this fire.
▪ I've got all her cake tins and her chopping board, which still smells very evocatively of her wonderful Wienerschnitzel.
▪ Past the house that still smells of fire.
▪ He can still smell a million dollars when it's within reach.
▪ I can still smell the ears roasting yonder where the Pauls and Sixo was.
▪ I can still smell the changing rooms.
▪ Gnoya Street still smelled of oil, of horse droppings, soap and axle grease.
strongly
▪ It may smell strongly but it is warm.
▪ Add plenty of basil to the breadcrumbs so that the mixture smells strongly of the herb.
■ NOUN
air
▪ The air smelled poisonous and dank.
▪ As I step out the door, inhaling the cool air, I smell lightness and relief.
▪ The air smelled of the black soil brought down from the mountains to make Tia Mimi s giant ferns grow tall.
▪ The air smelled fresh and cold.
▪ The air smelled of spices and there were hissing sounds from the bushes.
▪ The air smells lovely, of leeks and straw and the breeze from the sea five miles away.
▪ The air smells like a lot of things but mostly like new upholstery.
blood
▪ It had smelled blood, fresh blood.
▪ On some occasions men smell blood more easily than on others.
▪ His head was between his knees and he could smell the blood.
▪ And that will cause the Dallas Cowboys to smell blood.
▪ As soon as she reached the open door, she smelled blood.
▪ Tallis smelled blood and the more offensive stink of ordure.
▪ The sharks will really smell blood.
▪ If anyone cut themselves, he could smell the scent of blood and would scamper towards it.
body
▪ A dead body smells exactly the same as a dead animal.
▪ No smell of brandy or port or wine, but her body smell.
▪ He could feel the heat from her body, smell the soapy scent from her skin.
▪ He was so close that Polly could feel his body warmth and smell the soap he had used that morning.
breath
▪ Even at that distance Alan could smell its breath, which stank of stale blood.
▪ It smelled of perfume and breath and there were horrible little bells.
▪ He stayed where he was because he didn't want to get close enough for them to smell his breath.
▪ I could smell bourbon on his breath.
▪ They stood so close to him that he could smell their breath and see their decaying gappy teeth.
▪ Officers said they smelled alcohol on his breath but they could not compel him to submit to a Breathalyzer test or urinalysis.
▪ I smell Hollinger's dead breath.
coffee
▪ I smelled the coffee and followed my nose.
▪ Trouble is, my tenant on the second floor can smell coffee from my kitchen on the first floor.
▪ I could certainly smell coffee brewing.
▪ While the field has changed with rent control nearly quashed, wake up and smell the coffee of a new day.
▪ Wake up and smell the coffee, guys.
▪ When I woke, I smelled coffee and heard footsteps in the kitchen and the hallway.
▪ Alone, she smelled other people's coffee, other people's cakes.
fear
▪ She smelled the tang of fear in her nostrils and the taste of it in her mouth.
▪ The group of children smelled my fear and anxiety.
▪ I can feel that least black boy out there coming up the hall, smelling out for my fear.
▪ You could almost smell the fear in their voices.
▪ A marsh hawk appeared from behind and swooped low over him, perhaps smelling fear and hoping for leftovers.
▪ Through nostrils she smelled the fear and the death in this wretched band more powerfully.
fish
▪ All you could smell was boiled fish.
▪ It smelled of fish oil and something that made Wyatt think of a mattress that had been doused with beer.
▪ In the village, you could smell the fish sauce.
▪ The boy handed him a limp paper bag that smelled of tuna fish.
flower
▪ He needed to kiss her, even just gentle kisses dropped on her wind-blown hair that smelled of sunshine and flowers.
▪ But Masterson is also convincing as a woman susceptible to the lure of taking time to smell the flowers.
▪ For him there is not yet time to stop and smell the flowers.
▪ For years, there has been little time to stop and smell the flowers.
hair
▪ Look for their Hair Glistener - it leaves hair smelling irresistible and creates subtle, glittering highlights in your hair.
▪ He needed to kiss her, even just gentle kisses dropped on her wind-blown hair that smelled of sunshine and flowers.
▪ Her hair smelled of tortillas and smoke.
▪ His thick hair smelled of incense.
▪ I can smell Marie - the way her hair used to smell.
▪ Her hair smelled exactly the same as it had always done.
oil
▪ But my jokes when I was young tended to smell of oil rather.
▪ It smelled of fish oil and something that made Wyatt think of a mattress that had been doused with beer.
▪ The floor of the barn was cold stone and slimy and smelled of engine oil and damp cereals.
▪ I smelled the light oil on it.
▪ He smelled the dust and oil of three thousand miles on Mitch's jacket.
▪ The very air smelled of oil.
▪ Gnoya Street still smelled of oil, of horse droppings, soap and axle grease.
perfume
▪ They could smell her dry perfume from yards away.
▪ But he was still so close that he could smell the perfume of patchouli on the corpse's moustache.
▪ It smelled of perfume and breath and there were horrible little bells.
▪ One also wonders whether it is wise to smoke or to smell of perfume when handling horses.
▪ She had repressed the urge to reach over and touch her-this woman who smelled deliciously of perfume and powder.
▪ I keep on thinking that I can even smell her perfume.
▪ Toni smelled her perfume like roses on a fresh morning.
rat
▪ It is enough to make you smell a rat and be damned for your cynicism.
▪ He could smell a rat, and he knew just how the men had been cheated.
▪ I only began to smell a rat when he couldn't come up with the documents he claimed to have.
▪ Suffice to say, we smell a rat.
▪ She felt that he was beginning to smell a rat.
▪ I smell a rat here - I really do.
▪ Niki smelled the rat and said unless his driving contract were honoured, he would move to McLaren.
room
▪ The room began to smell of feathers and shit.
▪ The rooms smelled musty and airless, and wallpaper was peeling in great patches.
▪ I sleep in a back room, a servant's room, that smells of mildew and wet soot.
▪ It began to seem that the room smelled like cigarette smoke.
▪ Dooley came into the room, smelling of soap, with Barnabas at his side.
▪ They were married in a room smelling of varnish and floor wax, and official documents growing musty in the filing cabinets.
▪ She leads Maya indoors to a front room that smells of moisture and paint.
rose
▪ No time to stop and smell the roses?
▪ Toni smelled her perfume like roses on a fresh morning.
scent
▪ After a while, you can't smell your own scent - but everyone else certainly can!
▪ He could smell the tiniest scent of chocolate on the wrapper.
▪ On my hands and knees and with my eyes shut, I could smell their faint scent.
▪ There were many conflicting smells -- musty scents suggestive of faded perfumes, herbal teas, and an aging woman.
▪ No other flowers were in the garden, yet I seemed to smell the strong scent of nicotiana.
▪ She could feel his breath on her cheek, and smell the faint warm scent of his skin.
▪ Even before the Court of Investigation confirmed the workers' stand, the trade unions had smelled the scent of victory.
▪ She heard the rustle of him pulling down his pyjama trousers and then she smelled the warm male scent of him.
smoke
▪ Then, smelling tobacco smoke, the word Woodbine wound into my head.
▪ For days, every time you step outside, you can still smell the smoke from this fire.
▪ He needed a bath and quickly, he imagined he could smell smoke and the sour stench of sweat from his skin.
▪ If you smell smoke, hit the floor, and crawl to the nearest exit.
▪ All the man could smell was the nasty smoke he was making.
▪ The apartment door was already standing open and the hallway smelled of stale smoke.
▪ He says that there will be no pollution, nothing will smell, no smoke will be seen.
▪ It began to seem that the room smelled like cigarette smoke.
soap
▪ He could smell the harsh carbolic soap of the orphanage, then the schoolroom with its dust and chalk.
▪ Dooley came into the room, smelling of soap, with Barnabas at his side.
▪ When he passed Stella in the corridor she could smell scented soap.
▪ The people smelled of lye soap.
▪ It had smelled like this soap today, a light, entirely distinctive smell, a little like - what flower?
▪ She passed directly behind him, so close he could smell the perfumed soap on her skin.
▪ Kate could smell Pears soap and the smell brought back memories of when she had been younger.
▪ His skin smelled of Ivory soap.
sweat
▪ She could smell the sweat on his body and feel his excited breathing.
▪ He smelled light sweat, felt spittle reaching to his chin.
▪ He could also smell his own sweat.
▪ She smelled of horse sweat and the greasy shit smell of canned butter heating on a kerosene stove.
▪ I smelled sweat and the drink on his breath.
▪ It smells of sweat and that scent Mr Azul favours.
▪ He could faintly smell her sweat, and also the lavender of the garland she wore in her hair.
■ VERB
begin
▪ I only began to smell a rat when he couldn't come up with the documents he claimed to have.
▪ Usually, the dough begins to smell yeasty and is very slow to proof, even when warmed.
▪ He looked around in alarm when he began to smell the escaping gas, and quickly noticed the smashed tap.
▪ I began to smell the odor of steak and fried potatoes and coffee cutting through the smell of hay and manure.
▪ The room began to smell of feathers and shit.
▪ John begins to smell like a bush-league version of Joe McCarthy.
▪ He went cautiously out into the field, squatted down against a clump of thistles and began to smell the wind.
▪ My whole arm began to smell positively revolting, and the pain was almost unbearable.
hear
▪ Find out what he saw, heard, smelled and tasted.
▪ It is as important as seeing or hearing or smelling.
▪ I could hear them, smell them, but I could not see anyone.
▪ Be sure to hear the sounds, smell the smells, experience the sensations.
stop
▪ For him there is not yet time to stop and smell the flowers.
▪ No time to stop and smell the roses?
▪ He did not touch them or stop to smell.
▪ For years, there has been little time to stop and smell the flowers.
touch
▪ Now I could touch and smell things.
▪ She had repressed the urge to reach over and touch her-this woman who smelled deliciously of perfume and powder.
▪ He can't touch or smell.
▪ She jetted to foreign places, touched things and smelled her fingers.
▪ There is nothing to see, touch, taste, smell, hear.
▪ Carry it around so that each one can touch and smell it.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
come out of sth/come up smelling of roses
horsey face/smell etc
▪ They gave off a pungent, horsey smell, as if freshly cut.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Smell these roses - aren't they lovely?
▪ Diane smelled his breath to see if he'd been drinking.
▪ Do you smell smoke?
▪ Does my breath smell?
▪ I can smell something burning - are you sure you turned the oven off?
▪ I swear I haven't had anything to drink. Smell my breath.
▪ If you smell gas in the apartment, call this number immediately.
▪ It smells like a hospital in here - has someone been using disinfectant?
▪ Many people like the taste of jackfruit, but it smells terrible.
▪ Not only does he smell bad - he's mean and ugly too.
▪ She smelled of alcohol and was unsteady on her feet.
▪ Take the garbage out before it starts to smell.
▪ The house whole house smells of garlic - what are you cooking?
▪ The meat smelled horrible, and I refused to eat it.
▪ This hand cream smells lovely, what's it called?
▪ We need to clean the cat's litter box - it's starting to smell.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ For one shot, he zooms in over a sawmill, low enough to smell the fresh-cut lumber.
▪ He could even smell a packet of cigarettes hidden in a coat pocket several metres away!
▪ He thought he could smell dope; grass or resin fumes.
▪ Hoist your honker to the skies and smell the burning charcoal and dripping, burning fat.
▪ Look for their Hair Glistener - it leaves hair smelling irresistible and creates subtle, glittering highlights in your hair.
▪ She could smell the chemical effluent off the agricultural land: she couldn't remember having noticed that stench before.
▪ The snow smelled clean, but like a hospital.
▪ Trouble is, my tenant on the second floor can smell coffee from my kitchen on the first floor.
Related phrases:
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Smell

Smell \Smell\ (sm[e^]l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Smelled, Smelt; p. pr. & vb. n. Smelling.] [OE. smellen, smillen, smullen; cf. LG. smellen, smelen, sm["o]len, schmelen, to smoke, to reek, D. smeulen to smolder, and E. smolder. Cf. Smell, n.]

  1. To perceive by the olfactory nerves, or organs of smell; to have a sensation of, excited through the nasal organs when affected by the appropriate materials or qualities; to obtain the scent of; as, to smell a rose; to smell perfumes.

  2. To detect or perceive, as if by the sense of smell; to scent out; -- often with out. ``I smell a device.''
    --Shak.

    Can you smell him out by that?
    --Shak.

  3. To give heed to. [Obs.]

    From that time forward I began to smellthe Word of God, and forsook the school doctors.
    --Latimer.

    To smell a rat, to have a sense of something wrong, not clearly evident; to have reason for suspicion. [Colloq.]

    To smell out, to find out by sagacity. [Colloq.]

Smell

Smell \Smell\, v. i.

  1. To affect the olfactory nerves; to have an odor or scent; -- often followed by of; as, to smell of smoke, or of musk.

  2. To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savor; as, a report smells of calumny.

    Praises in an enemy are superfluous, or smell of craft.
    --Milton.

  3. To exercise the sense of smell.
    --Ex. xxx. 38.

  4. To exercise sagacity.
    --Shak.

Smell

Smell \Smell\, n. [OE. smel, smil, smul, smeol. See Smell, v. t.] (Physiol.)

  1. The sense or faculty by which certain qualities of bodies are perceived through the instrumentally of the olfactory nerves. See Sense.

  2. The quality of any thing or substance, or emanation therefrom, which affects the olfactory organs; odor; scent; fragrance; perfume; as, the smell of mint.

    Breathing the smell of field and grove.
    --Milton.

    That which, above all others, yields the sweetest smell in the air, is the violent.
    --Bacon.

    Syn: Scent; odor; perfume; fragrance.

Related phrases:
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
smell

"odor, aroma, stench," late 12c.; "faculty of perceiving by the nose," c.1200; see smell (v.). Ousted Old English stenc (see stench) in most senses.

smell

late 12c., "emit or perceive an odor," not found in Old English, perhaps cognate with Middle Dutch smolen, Low German smelen "to smolder" (see smolder). However, OED says "no doubt of Old English origin, but not recorded, and not represented in any of the cognate languages." Related: Smelled or smelt; smelling.\n

\nSmelling salts (1840), used to revive the woozy, typically were a scented preparation of carbonate of ammonia. Smell-feast (n.) "one who finds and frequents good tables, one who scents out where free food is to be had" is from 1510s ("very common" c.1540-1700, OED). Smell-smock "licentious man" was in use c.1550-c.1900. To smell a rat "be suspicious" is from 1540s.

Wiktionary
smell

n. 1 A sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by inhaling air (or, the case of water-breathing animals, water) carrying airborne molecules of a substance. 2 (context physiology English) The sense that detects odours. vb. 1 (context transitive English) To sense a smell or smells. 2 (context intransitive English) To have a particular smell, whether good or bad; if descriptive, followed by "like" or "of".

Related phrases:
WordNet
smell

  1. n. the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form; "she loved the smell of roses" [syn: odor, odour, olfactory sensation, olfactory perception]

  2. any property detected by the olfactory system [syn: olfactory property, aroma, odor, odour, scent]

  3. the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people; "the feel of the city excited him"; "a clergyman improved the tone of the meeting"; "it had the smell of treason" [syn: spirit, tone, feel, feeling, flavor, flavour, look]

  4. the faculty of smell [syn: sense of smell, olfaction, olfactory modality]

  5. the act of perceiving the odor of something [syn: smelling]

  6. [also: smelt]

smell

  1. v. inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense

  2. emit an odor; "The soup smells good"

  3. smell bad; "He rarely washes, and he smells"

  4. [also: smelt]

Related phrases:
Wikipedia
Smell

Smell may refer to;

  • Odor, a scent that is being emitted by something
  • Olfaction, the act of smelling an odor
  • "Smells" (Bottom), a TV episode
  • The Smell, a music venue
  • Code Smell, any symptom in the source code of a program that possibly indicates a deeper problem
Related phrases:

Usage examples of "smell".

Late-night cafes inNew Yorkwere apparently so familiar with this procedure that waiters and other diners would smile indulgently at Benzedrine abusers when they picked up the smell of menthol across the room.

None of the men in the household showed any more interest in the state of her health after Keith had commented on the acetone smell.

AUTHORIZED PERSONS ONLY, into the exhibit laboratory, a reassuringly familiar place with its display cases and smells of shellac and camphor, acetone and ethyl alcohol.

In addition, a fledgling has to contend with the devastating effect of daylight, the ability to see, hear and smell things way beyond mortal capabilities, and an extraordinary mental acuity to mold mortal minds.

Deaf people have always been remarkable for their acuteness of vision, touch, and smell.

Meg smelled of shampoo and cheap cosmetics and childhood, and Addle was overwhelmed by the shape and feel of a girl roughly the same age asChloe.

The doors were aflare with flickering lights from within, and the unctuous smell of frying pork was on the air.

She imagined the smell of the rain forest and the chatter of monkeys, the rustle of agoutis, the slither of anacondas, the screech of macaws.

The smell of the dream-inducing herbs she had brought in, cinquefoil, agrimony, angelica, and star anise, was beginning to make her head swim.

Suddenly, the smells and sights of the akasa chamber seemed unbearable.

The soothing smells of Akasha wafted slowly into her psyche, like a balm to her soul.

Thereafter as the night aged, they were shown to a sleeping chamber, which albeit not richly decked, or plenished with precious things, was most dainty clean, and sweet smelling, and strewn with flowers, so that the night was sweet to them in a chamber of love.

Antryg said softly, and a shiver went through him, although the bar, with its close-packed bodies, its smells of cigarettes and beer and synthetic aldehyde, was warm as a Jacuzzi.

Seregil inhaled the familiar morning smells of the tower as he and Alec headed up to the workroom the next morning- the mingled incense of parchment, candle smoke, and herbs overlaid with the more immediate aromas of breakfast.

The smell of dust and time was overcome by that of cinnamon and ambergris as they descended.