smell
gb/smˈɛl/ us/smˈɛl/
A1
Anglais
~ 2700
Sens
0 sens
Nom
A1
property
1
The quality of a scent
The way something smells.
Schéma d’usage :
the smell of [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'smell' (noun) with 'smelly' (adjective). 'Smelly' describes something that has a strong or unpleasant smell.
Synonymes
odor (More formal; can be neutral or negative depending on context.)
|
scent (Often suggests a pleasant smell, especially from flowers or perfume.)
Antonymes
freshness (Indicates the absence of an unpleasant smell.)
Collocations
strong smell
|pleasant smell
|bad smell
|faint smell
|distinct smell
Thèmes
daily life
|senses
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I like the smell of coffee.
- The room has a bad smell.
- This flower has a sweet smell.
- I smell food in the kitchen.
Verbe
A1
action
2
Notice a scent through the nose
To know that something has a smell by using your nose.
Schéma d’usage :
to smell [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes say 'smell at' instead of just 'smell' when talking about detecting something.
Synonymes
detect (General term; not limited to scents.)
|
sniff (To breathe in through the nose, often deliberately, to detect a smell.)
Antonymes
ignore (Not notice or pay attention to a smell.)
Collocations
smell smoke
|smell perfume
|smell flowers
|smell gas
Thèmes
daily life
|senses
|body
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I smell food in the kitchen.
- Can you smell the flowers?
- I smell something burning.
Verbe
A2
action
3
Deliberately sniff something
To move your nose close to something to find out what it smells like.
Schéma d’usage :
to smell [something] to see if...
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse this deliberate action with simply noticing a scent without trying.
Synonymes
sniff (Implies short, sharp inhalations; often informal.)
Antonymes
avoid smelling (To intentionally not bring something close to your nose.)
Collocations
smell the milk
|smell the roses
|smell the food
Thèmes
daily life
|senses
|body
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I smell the milk to see if it is bad.
- He smells the flowers every morning.
- Smell this cheese. Is it good?
Verbe
A1
state
4
Give off a scent or odor
To have a certain smell.
Schéma d’usage :
[something] smells [adjective]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes add 'like' incorrectly (e.g., 'It smells like delicious' instead of 'It smells delicious').
Synonymes
reek (Strongly negative connotation; very unpleasant smell.)
|
emit an odor (Technical or formal expression for giving off a smell.)
Antonymes
be odorless (Have no detectable smell.)
Collocations
smells good
|smells bad
|smells fresh
Thèmes
daily life
|senses
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- This soup smells delicious.
- The garbage smells terrible.
- Her perfume smells wonderful.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The cake smells good.
- This fish smells bad.
- Your bag smells nice.
Nom
B1
entity
5
Ability to detect scents
The ability to know what something smells like by using your nose.
Synonymes
olfaction (Scientific term for the sense of smell.)
Antonymes
anosmia (Medical term for loss of sense of smell.)
Collocations
loss of smell
|sense of smell
Thèmes
science
|senses
|body
|health
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- Dogs have an excellent sense of smell.
- She lost her smell after the illness.
- Smell is one of the five senses.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Dogs have a good sense of smell.
- I lost my sense of smell when I was sick.
- Smell is important for tasting food.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
smell
API
GB/smˈɛl/
US/smˈɛl/
Syllabes et accentuation
smell (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (smell)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: smell
- Plural: smell, smells
Verb
- Base: smell
- 3rd Person Singular: smells
- Present Participle: smelling
- Past: smelled, smelt
- Past Participle: smelt
Famille de mots
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
Points clés
- 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.
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples
- 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.