smell
gb/smˈɛl/ us/smˈɛl/
A1
Kiingereza
~ 2700
Maana
maana 0
Nomino
A1
property
1
The quality of a scent
The way something smells.
Muundo wa matumizi:
the smell of [something]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes confuse 'smell' (noun) with 'smelly' (adjective). 'Smelly' describes something that has a strong or unpleasant smell.
Visawe
odor (More formal; can be neutral or negative depending on context.)
|
scent (Often suggests a pleasant smell, especially from flowers or perfume.)
Vinyume
freshness (Indicates the absence of an unpleasant smell.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
strong smell
|pleasant smell
|bad smell
|faint smell
|distinct smell
Mada
daily life
|senses
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- I like the smell of coffee.
- The room has a bad smell.
- This flower has a sweet smell.
- I smell food in the kitchen.
Kitenzi
A1
action
2
Notice a scent through the nose
To know that something has a smell by using your nose.
Muundo wa matumizi:
to smell [something]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes say 'smell at' instead of just 'smell' when talking about detecting something.
Visawe
detect (General term; not limited to scents.)
|
sniff (To breathe in through the nose, often deliberately, to detect a smell.)
Vinyume
ignore (Not notice or pay attention to a smell.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
smell smoke
|smell perfume
|smell flowers
|smell gas
Mada
daily life
|senses
|body
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- I smell food in the kitchen.
- Can you smell the flowers?
- I smell something burning.
Kitenzi
A2
action
3
Deliberately sniff something
To move your nose close to something to find out what it smells like.
Muundo wa matumizi:
to smell [something] to see if...
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes confuse this deliberate action with simply noticing a scent without trying.
Visawe
sniff (Implies short, sharp inhalations; often informal.)
Vinyume
avoid smelling (To intentionally not bring something close to your nose.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
smell the milk
|smell the roses
|smell the food
Mada
daily life
|senses
|body
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- I smell the milk to see if it is bad.
- He smells the flowers every morning.
- Smell this cheese. Is it good?
Kitenzi
A1
state
4
Give off a scent or odor
To have a certain smell.
Muundo wa matumizi:
[something] smells [adjective]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes add 'like' incorrectly (e.g., 'It smells like delicious' instead of 'It smells delicious').
Visawe
reek (Strongly negative connotation; very unpleasant smell.)
|
emit an odor (Technical or formal expression for giving off a smell.)
Vinyume
be odorless (Have no detectable smell.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
smells good
|smells bad
|smells fresh
Mada
daily life
|senses
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- This soup smells delicious.
- The garbage smells terrible.
- Her perfume smells wonderful.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- The cake smells good.
- This fish smells bad.
- Your bag smells nice.
Nomino
B1
entity
5
Ability to detect scents
The ability to know what something smells like by using your nose.
Visawe
olfaction (Scientific term for the sense of smell.)
Vinyume
anosmia (Medical term for loss of sense of smell.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
loss of smell
|sense of smell
Mada
science
|senses
|body
|health
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- Dogs have an excellent sense of smell.
- She lost her smell after the illness.
- Smell is one of the five senses.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- Dogs have a good sense of smell.
- I lost my sense of smell when I was sick.
- Smell is important for tasting food.
Sarufi
Umbo la kamusi
smell
IPA
GB/smˈɛl/
US/smˈɛl/
Silabi na mkazo
smell (silabi 1)
Stress on 1st syllable (smell)
Maumbo ya neno
Noun
- Base: smell
- Plural: smell, smells
Verb
- Base: smell
- 3rd Person Singular: smells
- Present Participle: smelling
- Past: smelled, smelt
- Past Participle: smelt
Familia ya neno
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
Vidokezo muhimu
- Irregular past participle: smelt Verb
Semi
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.
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano
- 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.