smell
gb/smˈɛl/ us/smˈɛl/
A1
English
~ 2700
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
property
1
The quality of a scent
The way something smells.
Usage pattern:
the smell of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'smell' (noun) with 'smelly' (adjective). 'Smelly' describes something that has a strong or unpleasant 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.)
Collocations
strong smell
|pleasant smell
|bad smell
|faint smell
|distinct smell
Themes
daily life
|senses
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The kitchen was filled with the smell of fresh bread.
- I can’t stand the smell of cigarette smoke.
- 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.
- The room has a bad smell.
- This flower has a sweet smell.
- I smell food in the kitchen.
Verb
A1
action
2
Notice a scent through the nose
To know that something has a smell by using your nose.
Usage pattern:
to smell [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say 'smell at' instead of just 'smell' when talking about detecting something.
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.)
Collocations
smell smoke
|smell perfume
|smell flowers
|smell gas
Themes
daily life
|senses
|body
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I can smell gas in the kitchen.
- She smelled the flowers before placing them in the vase.
- He smelled smoke and called the fire department immediately.
Learner examples
- I smell food in the kitchen.
- Can you smell the flowers?
- I smell something burning.
Verb
A2
action
3
Deliberately sniff something
To move your nose close to something to find out what it smells like.
Usage pattern:
to smell [something] to see if...
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this deliberate action with simply noticing a scent without trying.
Synonyms
sniff (Implies short, sharp inhalations; often informal.)
Antonyms
avoid smelling (To intentionally not bring something close to your nose.)
Collocations
smell the milk
|smell the roses
|smell the food
Themes
daily life
|senses
|body
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She smelled the milk to check if it was fresh.
- He smelled the shirt to see if it was clean.
- I always smell food before tasting it.
Learner examples
- I smell the milk to see if it is bad.
- He smells the flowers every morning.
- Smell this cheese. Is it good?
Verb
A1
state
4
Give off a scent or odor
To have a certain smell.
Usage pattern:
[something] smells [adjective]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes add 'like' incorrectly (e.g., 'It smells like delicious' instead of 'It smells delicious').
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.)
Collocations
smells good
|smells bad
|smells fresh
Themes
daily life
|senses
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- This soup smells delicious.
- The garbage smells terrible.
- Her perfume smells wonderful.
Learner examples
- The cake smells good.
- This fish smells bad.
- Your bag smells nice.
Noun
B1
entity
5
Ability to detect scents
The ability to know what something smells like by using your nose.
Synonyms
olfaction (Scientific term for the sense of smell.)
Antonyms
anosmia (Medical term for loss of sense of smell.)
Collocations
loss of smell
|sense of smell
Themes
science
|senses
|body
|health
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Dogs have an excellent sense of smell.
- She lost her smell after the illness.
- Smell is one of the five senses.
Learner examples
- Dogs have a good sense of smell.
- I lost my sense of smell when I was sick.
- Smell is important for tasting food.
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.