smell
gb/smˈɛl/ us/smˈɛl/
A1
English
~ 2700
szag, illat, érez, megszagol, beleszagol, szaga van, bűzlik, illata van, szaglás, szaglóérzék
NOUN
A1
1
Usage pattern:
the smell of [something]
The kitchen was filled with the smell of fresh bread.
A konyhát betöltötte a friss kenyér illata.
I can’t stand the smell of cigarette smoke.
Ki nem állhatom a cigarettafüst szagát.
There was a strange smell coming from the garage.
The smell of the ocean always reminds me of summer.
Learner examples
I like the smell of coffee.
Szeretem a kávé illatát.
The room has a bad smell.
Rossz szag van a szobában.
This flower has a sweet smell.
I smell food in the kitchen.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'smell' (noun) with 'smelly' (adjective). 'Smelly' describes something that has a strong or unpleasant smell.
Meaning
The quality of a scent
Collocations
strong smell
|pleasant smell
|bad smell
|faint smell
|distinct smell
Synonyms
odor (More formal; can be neutral or negative depending on context.)
|
scent (Often suggests a pleasant smell, especially from flowers or perfume.)
Antonyms
freshness (Indicates the absence of an unpleasant smell.)
Themes
daily life
|senses
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The way something smells.
The quality or character of something as perceived by the sense of smell.
VERB
A1
2
Usage pattern:
to smell [something]
I can smell gas in the kitchen.
Gázszagot érzek a konyhában.
She smelled the flowers before placing them in the vase.
Megszagolta a virágokat, mielőtt a vázába tette őket.
He smelled smoke and called the fire department immediately.
Learner examples
I smell food in the kitchen.
Érzem az étel illatát a konyhában.
Can you smell the flowers?
Érzed a virágok illatát?
I smell something burning.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say 'smell at' instead of just 'smell' when talking about detecting something.
Meaning
Notice a scent through the nose
Collocations
smell smoke
|smell perfume
|smell flowers
|smell gas
Synonyms
detect (General term; not limited to scents.)
|
sniff (To breathe in through the nose, often deliberately, to detect a smell.)
Antonyms
ignore (Not notice or pay attention to a smell.)
Themes
daily life
|senses
|body
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To know that something has a smell by using your nose.
To detect or perceive a scent using the nose.
VERB
A2
3
megszagol
A2
beleszagol
B1
Usage pattern:
to smell [something] to see if...
She smelled the milk to check if it was fresh.
Megszagolta a tejet, hogy ellenőrizze, friss-e.
He smelled the shirt to see if it was clean.
Megszagolta az inget, hogy lássa, tiszta-e.
I always smell food before tasting it.
Learner examples
I smell the milk to see if it is bad.
Megszagolom a tejet, hogy lássam, nem romlott-e meg.
He smells the flowers every morning.
Minden reggel megszagolja a virágokat.
Smell this cheese. Is it good?
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this deliberate action with simply noticing a scent without trying.
Meaning
Deliberately sniff something
Collocations
smell the milk
|smell the roses
|smell the food
Synonyms
sniff (Implies short, sharp inhalations; often informal.)
Antonyms
avoid smelling (To intentionally not bring something close to your nose.)
Themes
daily life
|senses
|body
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To move your nose close to something to find out what it smells like.
To put one's nose near something in order to sense its odor.
VERB
A1
4
Usage pattern:
[something] smells [adjective]
This soup smells delicious.
Ennek a levesnek finom illata van.
The garbage smells terrible.
A szemétnek borzalmas szaga van.
Her perfume smells wonderful.
Learner examples
The cake smells good.
A tortának jó illata van.
This fish smells bad.
Ennek a halnak rossz szaga van.
Your bag smells nice.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes add 'like' incorrectly (e.g., 'It smells like delicious' instead of 'It smells delicious').
Meaning
Give off a scent or odor
Collocations
smells good
|smells bad
|smells fresh
Synonyms
reek (Strongly negative connotation; very unpleasant smell.)
|
emit an odor (Technical or formal expression for giving off a smell.)
Antonyms
be odorless (Have no detectable smell.)
Themes
daily life
|senses
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To have a certain smell.
To have or emit a particular scent or odor.
NOUN
B1
5
szaglás
B1
szaglóérzék
B2
Dogs have an excellent sense of smell.
A kutyáknak kiváló a szaglásuk.
She lost her smell after the illness.
A betegség után elvesztette a szaglását.
Smell is one of the five senses.
Learner examples
Dogs have a good sense of smell.
A kutyáknak jó a szaglásuk.
I lost my sense of smell when I was sick.
Amikor beteg voltam, elvesztettem a szaglásomat.
Smell is important for tasting food.
Meaning
Ability to detect scents
Collocations
loss of smell
|sense of smell
Synonyms
olfaction (Scientific term for the sense of smell.)
Antonyms
anosmia (Medical term for loss of sense of smell.)
Themes
science
|senses
|body
|health
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The ability to know what something smells like by using your nose.
The human or animal ability to notice scents through the nose; the sense of smell.
Grammar
Dictionary form
smell
IPA
GB/smˈɛl/
US/smˈɛl/
Syllables & stress
smell (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (smell)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: smell
- Plural: smell, smells
Verb
- Base: smell
- 3rd Person Singular: smells
- Present Participle: smelling
- Past: smelled, smelt
- Past Participle: smelt
Word family
Forms
smells
noun
smelling
verb
smelled
verb
smelt
verb
Core family
smelly
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
odorless
adjective
Advanced or less common
smelliness
noun
Highlights
- Irregular past participle: smelt Verb
Expressions
follow one's nose
1/fˈɑloʊ wˈʌnz nˈoʊz/
idiom
informal
Go by instinct or scent without plan
To go in a direction without knowing exactly where you are going, trusting your feeling or sense of smell.
Examples
- Just follow your nose until you reach the bakery—you’ll smell it before you see it.
- He followed his nose through the forest and found the campsite.
have a nose for something
1/hˈæv ə nˈoʊz fɚ sˈʌmθɪŋ/
idiom
informal
Be naturally good at finding something
To be very good at finding or noticing something, especially because of experience or natural talent.
Examples
- She has a nose for good investments.
- Journalists need to have a nose for news.
stop and smell the roses
1/stˈɑp ˈænd smˈɛl ðə ɹˈoʊzɪz/
idiom
informal
Pause to enjoy life's simple things
To take time to relax and enjoy small, pleasant things in life.
Examples
- You’ve been working too hard—stop and smell the roses once in a while.
- Traveling taught me to stop and smell the roses.
smell a rat
1/smˈɛl ə ɹˈæt/
idiom
informal
Suspect dishonesty or wrongdoing
To think that something is wrong or someone is doing something bad or dishonest.
Examples
- When she arrived so late, I began to smell a rat.
- I smell a rat—these numbers are too good to be true.
- I smelled a rat when he offered such a low price.
- The police began to smell a rat when his story kept changing.