smell
The way something smells.
The quality or character of something as perceived by the sense of smell.
To know that something has a smell by using your nose.
To detect or perceive a scent using the nose.
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.
To have a certain smell.
To have or emit a particular scent or odor.
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.
- Base: smell
- Plural: smell, smells
- Base: smell
- 3rd Person Singular: smells
- Present Participle: smelling
- Past: smelled, smelt
- Past Participle: smelt
- Irregular past participle: smelt Verb
follow one's nose
1Go 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.
- 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
1Be naturally good at finding something
To be very good at finding or noticing something, especially because of experience or natural talent.
- She has a nose for good investments.
- Journalists need to have a nose for news.
stop and smell the roses
1Pause to enjoy life's simple things
To take time to relax and enjoy small, pleasant things in life.
- 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
1Suspect dishonesty or wrongdoing
To think that something is wrong or someone is doing something bad or dishonest.
- 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.