Home / Dictionary / smell

smell

/smɛl/
noun
  1. A sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by inhaling air (or, the case of water-breathing animals, water) carrying airborne molecules of a substance.

    "I love the smell of fresh bread."

  2. The sense that detects odours.

  3. A conclusion or intuition that a situation is wrong, more complex than it seems, or otherwise inappropriate.

Synonymsolfaction, sense of smell
verb
  1. To sense a smell or smells.

    "I can smell fresh bread."

    Similar: detect, sense

  2. Followed by like or of if descriptive: to have a particular smell, whether good or bad.

    "Her feet smell of cheese."

    Similar: pong, reek, stink, whiff

  3. (without a modifier) To smell bad; to stink.

    "Ew, this stuff smells."

Synonymsdetect, sense, pong, reek, stink, whiff

Practice "smell" in context

WordNote uses spaced repetition across multiple quiz levels, from recognizing the meaning to recalling it in active practice.

Save to WordNote — it's free →

No credit card. No install required.

smell — meaning, definition & examples | WordNote | WordNote