INDEX:
1. a smell
2. a good smell
3. a bad smell
4. to have a good smell
5. to have a bad smell
6. having a strong smell
7. to smell something
8. to have a particular smell
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ TASTE
↑ HORRIBLE
↑ DELICIOUS
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1. a smell
▷ smell /smel/ [countable noun]
something that you notice by using your nose :
▪ What’s that smell? Is something burning?
▪ We had the carpet cleaned, but we couldn’t get rid of the musty smell.
▪ The wonderful smells from the kitchen made her mouth water.
smell of
▪ I really hate the smell of stale beer.
▷ odour British /odor American /ˈəʊdəʳ/ [countable noun]
a strong smell that is easy to recognize :
▪ Each ant’s nest has its own odor that ants use to recognize it.
odour of
▪ Lingering in the air was the unmistakeable odor of barbecue smoke.
▪ We immediately noticed the heavy odour of opium in the room.
▷ scent /sent/ [countable noun]
the smell left by animals :
▪ The dogs followed the fox’s scent to the edge of the forest.
scent of
▪ The deer caught the scent of the man, and sprang off over the hill.
2. a good smell
▷ scent/fragrance/perfume /sent, ˈfreɪgrəns, ˈpɜːʳfjuːm/ [countable noun]
a pleasant smell, especially from flowers, plants, or fruit :
▪ The trees were so thick with flowers their scent was almost overpowering.
▪ The flowers have been prized over the centuries for their heady perfume.
scent/fragrance/perfume of
▪ The fragrance of lilacs always reminds me of spring.
▪ A cool autumn breeze blew past, carrying with it the scent of pine.
▷ aroma /əˈrəʊmə/ [countable noun]
a pleasant smell, especially from food or coffee :
▪ Each of the cheeses has its own texture, flavour, and aroma.
aroma of
▪ The aroma of coffee brought Christine into the small cafe.
▪ The rich aroma of freshly baked bread filled the whole house.
3. a bad smell
▷ smell /smel/ [countable noun]
▪ There’s a smell in here - open the window.
▪ The food looked good, but the smell was awful.
smell of
▪ The smells of dead fish and rotting garbage were more than he could stand.
bad smell
▪ There was a bad smell coming from the cupboard.
▷ odour British /odor American /ˈəʊdəʳ/ [countable noun]
a strong, unpleasant smell that is easy to recognize :
▪ The air freshener is supposed to get rid of unpleasant household odors.
odour of
▪ Around the camps there was always the pungent order of kerosene burning human waste.
body odour/odor
▪ The man sitting next to me had body odor and bad breath.
▷ stench /stentʃ/ [singular noun]
a very strong unpleasant smell, especially one that is so bad it makes it hard for you to breathe or makes you feel sick :
▪ The dead body had begun to rot, and the stench was overpowering.
stench of
▪ I couldn’t bear to go in the room with its stench of beer and vomit.
▷ stink /stɪŋk/ [singular noun]
a strong and very unpleasant smell, especially from something that is decaying :
▪ The stink from the drains is almost unbearable in summer.
stink of
▪ The stink of burning rubber permeated the hot summer air.
▷ pong /pɒŋ ǁ pɑːŋ/ [singular noun] British informal
a bad smell :
▪ What a pong! This place hasn’t been cleaned for years!
4. to have a good smell
▷ smell nice/good /ˌsmel ˈnaɪs, ˈgʊd/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to have a pleasant smell :
▪ Something smells good. What are you cooking?
▪ You smell so good - is that a new perfume?
▪ I put lavender in my cupboard to make my clothes smell nice.
▷ fragrant /ˈfreɪgrənt/ [adjective]
having a light, pleasant smell, especially of flowers :
▪ The plant has fragrant red and white flowers.
▪ The forest was cool and fragrant, and the walk through it calmed my spirits.
▪ Choose from one of Chanel’s new range of fragrant body lotions.
▷ fresh /freʃ/ [adjective]
having a clean, natural, pleasant smell :
▪ If you eat garlic, have some parsley afterwards to keep your breath fresh.
▪ The fields have such a clean, fresh smell after the rain.
▷ aromatic /ˌærəˈmætɪk◂/ [adjective]
having a pleasant smell - use this especially about plants and leaves that are used in cooking :
▪ Thai basil is fast growing and wonderfully aromatic.
▪ This kind of massage is a gentle treatment using aromatic oils.
▷ sweet-smelling /ˌswiːt ˈsmelɪŋ◂/ [adjective]
having a strong, sweet smell :
▪ The room was warm, sweet-smelling, and luxurious.
▪ The plant produces tiny, but sweet-smelling white flowers.
▪ The old city lay among sweet-smelling pine woods and almond groves.
▷ delicate [adjective] /ˈdelɪkɪt, ˈdelɪkət/
a delicate smell is pleasant but sometimes difficult to notice :
▪ The delicate scent of roses hung in the air.
▪ This soup has a marvellous, delicate fragrance and a slightly sweet taste.
▷ perfumed /ˈp3ːfjuːmd ǁ pərˈfjuːmd/ [adjective]
having a strong but pleasant smell - use this especially about something that has been given a smell by a particular product :
▪ He stood so close to her that he could smell the perfumed soap on her skin.
▪ perfumed lotions
▪ The poodle came back from the groomers perfumed, with a tiny bow behind each ear.
5. to have a bad smell
▷ smelly /ˈsmeli/ [adjective]
▪ The hut was dark and smelly.
▪ Don’t leave your smelly sneakers lying around the living room.
▪ The lake was rapidly turning brown and smelly from the factory wastes.
▷ smell /smel/ [intransitive verb]
to have an unpleasant smell :
▪ Does my breath smell?
▪ We need to clean the cat’s litter box - it’s starting to smell.
smell bad/awful/terrible/disgusting
▪ Not only does he smell bad - he’s mean and ugly too.
▪ Many people like the taste of jackfruit, but it smells terrible.
▷ stink /stɪŋk/ [intransitive verb not in progressive]
to have a strong and unpleasant smell :
▪ Her room is filthy, and it stinks.
▪ How can you eat that cheese? It stinks.
stink of
▪ His clothes stank of cigarette smoke.
stink to high heaven
▪ You boys stink to high heaven - go inside and take a shower.
▷ reek /riːk/ [intransitive verb not in progressive]
to have a very strong smell of something unpleasant :
▪ Get that dog out of here - he reeks.
reek of
▪ He came running into the house, reeking of sweat.
▪ The tiny office reeked of onions and cigarette smoke.
▪ Where have you been - you reek of alcohol?
▷ stinking /ˈstɪŋkɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]
having a very strong unpleasant smell :
▪ The yards were full of stinking garbage cans, and untidy lines of washing.
▪ He pointed to the stinking hole that we were to use as a toilet.
▷ stink the place out British /stink the place up American /ˌstɪŋk ðə ˈpleɪs aʊt, stɪŋk ðə ˈpleis ʌp/ [verb phrase] informal
to make a whole room smell bad :
▪ You’re not bringing that cat in here - it’ll stink the place out.
▪ She made fish for dinner and stunk the place up.
▷ musty /ˈmʌsti/ [adjective]
things such as books, clothes, or rooms that are musty have a smell that is old and not fresh, especially because they have not been used or been in fresh air for a long time :
▪ The hotel room was dark and musty.
▪ The library was full of musty old books which no one wanted to read.
▷ stale /steɪl/ [adjective]
having a smell that is not fresh, especially because you can still smell something such as old cigarette smoke or old cooking smells :
▪ She noticed the stale smell of drink on his breath.
▪ The air in the office was stale and heavy.
▪ It was cold outside and the smell of stale tobacco clung to their winter coats.
▷ acrid /ˈækrɪd, ˈækrəd/ [adjective]
having a sharp, unpleasant smell, especially one that hurts your nose :
▪ The chemical has an acrid smell.
▪ When I opened the door, acrid white smoke came billowing out.
▪ The air was stale and acrid, and a cluster of black flies hovered over the bed.
6. having a strong smell
▷ strong /strɒŋǁstrɔːŋ/ [adjective]
▪ There’s a strong smell of gas in here.
▪ Her perfume is so strong - it makes me gag.
▪ Goat’s cheese has a strong smell.
strong-smelling
▪ Pete had covered himself in strong-smelling aftershave.
▷ pungent /ˈpʌndʒənt/ [adjective]
having a very strong, sharp, and often unpleasant smell :
▪ Garlic has a pungent aroma.
▪ Pungent diesel fumes poured from the back of the truck.
▷ powerful /ˈpaʊəʳf ə l/ [adjective]
very strong, and sometimes unpleasant :
▪ Ammonia has a very powerful, distinctive smell.
▪ The powerful smell of cabbage, sardines, and body odor filled the train.
▷ heady /ˈhedi/ [adjective only before noun]
heady smell/scent/perfume a smell etc that is very strong and sweet, like a powerful smell of flowers :
▪ A heady scent of jasmine hung in the summer air.
▪ Diane loved the blossoms and the heady aroma of the wild rose bush.
7. to smell something
▷ smell /smel/ [transitive verb not in passive]
to notice the smell of something, especially by putting your nose near it :
▪ Smell these roses - aren’t they lovely?
▪ If you smell gas in the apartment, call this number immediately.
▪ I swear I haven’t had anything to drink. Smell my breath.
can smell
notice a smell
▪ I can smell something burning - are you sure you turned the oven off?
▷ sniff /snɪf/ [intransitive/transitive verb not in passive]
to take quick breaths through your nose in order to smell something :
▪ He opened the milk and sniffed it.
▪ Otto looked around quickly to make sure no one was looking and then sniffed his armpits.
sniff at
▪ The dog was rushing around excitedly, sniffing at the ground.
▷ get/catch a whiff of something /ˌget, ˌkætʃ ə ˈwɪf əv something/ [verb phrase] informal
to notice a smell, just for a short time :
▪ I caught a whiff of roast beef as I walked past the kitchen.
▪ Lisa passed so close to Paul that he got a whiff of her perfume.
▷ scent /sent/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
if an animal scents something, especially another animal, it can smell that it is near :
▪ The dog had scented something in the bushes.
▪ Police dogs have a very keen sense of smell and can scent even the slightest traces of drugs.
▷ sense of smell /ˌsens əv ˈsmel/ [noun phrase]
▪ Blind people often have a much better sense of smell than other people.
▪ Smoking can really ruin a person’s sense of smell.
keen sense of smell
very good one
▪ Pigs have a keen sense of smell, which is why they are used to find truffles.
8. to have a particular smell
▷ smell /smel/ [intransitive verb not in progressive]
smell of
▪ She smelled of alcohol and was unsteady on her feet.
▪ The whole house smells of garlic - what are you cooking?
smell like
▪ It smells like a hospital in here - has someone been using disinfectant?
smell nice/horrible/sweet etc
▪ This hand cream smells lovely, what’s it called?
▪ The meat smelled horrible, and I refused to eat it.
▷ have a good/bad etc smell /hæv ə ˌgʊd ˈsmel/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
▪ The wine has a light, lemony smell.
▪ Clothes washed in some detergents have a chemical smell.
▪ The house was empty, and the rooms had a stale, damp smell.
▷ give off /ˌgɪv ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to produce a particular type of smell that is fairly strong :
give off something
▪ The mixture gave off a strong odor of sulfur.
▪ The covers were damp from humidity and gave off a mildewy smell.
▪ When dried, the flowers will continue to give off their fragrance for months and even years.