/ smel; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb ( smelled , smelled ) ( BrE also smelt , smelt / smelt; NAmE /)
1.
smell (of sth) to have a particular smell :
[ v - adj ]
The room smelt damp.
Dinner smells good.
a bunch of sweet-smelling flowers
[ v ]
His breath smelt of garlic.
What does the perfume smell like?
2.
[ no passive ] (not used in the progressive tenses; often with can or could ) to notice or recognize a particular smell :
[ vn ]
He said he could smell gas when he entered the room.
The dog had smelt a rabbit.
I could smell alcohol on his breath.
[ vn -ing ]
Can you smell something burning?
[also v ( that )]
3.
[ vn ] (not usually used in the passive) to put your nose near sth and breathe in so that you can discover or identify its smell
SYN sniff :
Smell this and tell me what you think it is.
I bent down to smell the flowers.
4.
[ v ] (not used in the progressive tenses) to have an unpleasant smell :
The drains smell.
It smells in here.
He hadn't washed for days and was beginning to smell.
5.
[ vn ] [ no passive ] to feel that sth exists or is going to happen :
He smelt danger.
I can smell trouble.
•
IDIOMS
- come up / out of sth smelling of roses
- smell a rat
—more at rose noun , wake verb
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- smell sb/sth out
■ noun
1.
[ C , U ] the quality of sth that people and animals sense through their noses :
a faint / strong smell of garlic
a sweet / fresh / musty smell
There was a smell of burning in the air.
The smells from the kitchen filled the room.
2.
[ sing. ] an unpleasant smell :
What's that smell?
Yuk! What a smell!
3.
[ U ] the ability to sense things with the nose :
Dogs have a very good sense of smell .
Taste and smell are closely connected.
4.
[ C ] the act of smelling sth
SYN sniff :
He took one smell of the liquid and his eyes began to water.
•
IDIOMS
see sweet adjective
••
VOCABULARY BUILDING
smells
Describing smells
These adjectives describe pleasant smells:
scented candles
aromatic oils
fragrant perfume
sweet-smelling flowers
To describe unpleasant smells you can use:
smelly cheese
stinking fish
musty old books
acrid smoke
Types of smell:
Pleasant smells:
the rich aroma of fresh coffee
a herb with a delicate fragrance
a rose's sweet perfume
the scent of wild flowers
Unpleasant smells:
nasty household odours
the stench of rotting meat
the stink of stale sweat
the reek of beer and tobacco
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : of unknown origin.