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scent

SENT/sɛnt/

Pluralscents

Verbscents, scenting, scented

12 meanings of scent

Practice

  1. 1
    a smellnouncountable or uncountable
    A special smell that belongs to a certain thing.

    The scent of roses filled the garden.

    Skunks give off a strong scent when they are scared.

    Similarsmell, aroma, fragrance, odor, perfume

    Note
  2. 2
    perfumenoununcountable
    A liquid or other product made to smell nice.

    She put a little scent on her wrists before the party.

    The gift box had soap, candles, and a small bottle of scent.

    Similarperfume, cologne

    Note
  3. 3
    animal's trailnouncountable or uncountable
    The smell an animal leaves behind, which others can follow to find it.

    The dog followed the rabbit's scent across the field.

    The hunters' dogs lost the scent at the river.

    Similartrail, track

    Note
  4. 4
    notice by smellverbtransitive
    To notice something by smelling it.

    The dog scented a rabbit under the bushes.

    Bears can scent food left inside a tent.

    Similarsmell

    Note
  5. 5
    cluenounfigurativelycountable or uncountable
    A trail or sign that you can follow to find someone or something.

    The police were hot on the scent of the thieves.

    The fake clues threw the reporters off the scent.

    Similartrail, track

    Note
  6. 6
    make fragrantverbtransitive
    To make something smell a certain way.

    We scent the room with fresh flowers when guests come.

    Mom scented the sheets with a little lavender.

    Similarperfume

    Note
  7. 7
    nouncountable or uncountable
    The power to smell things.

    Our old dog can't see well anymore, so she relies on scent and hearing to get around the house.

    Some animals find their food by scent alone.

    Similarolfaction

    Note
  8. 8
    verbfigurativelytransitive
    To start to feel that something may be there or may happen.

    The kids scented trouble when Mom used their full names.

    Good reporters can scent a big story.

    Similarsense, detect, perceive, discern

    Note
  9. 9
    sniffverbtransitive or intransitive
    To breathe in through your nose to try to smell something.

    The horse stopped to scent the air.

    The puppy ran around the yard, scenting everywhere.

    Similarsniff, smell

    Note
  10. 10
    hunt animalsverb
    To hunt animals by using smell to find them.

    Similartrack

Less common meanings

  1. 11
    any sensenounobsoletecountable or uncountable
    The ability to sense or notice things.
    A fit false dreame, that can delude the sleepers sent.
    1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie QueeneHere, sent means the ability to sense or notice things.
    Note
  2. 12
    smell likeverbobsoleteintransitive
    To have a smell, or to seem to show some quality.
    though praying for a wounded Conscience may seemingly scent of pretended humility, it doth really and rankly savour of pride,
    1647, Thomas Fuller, The Cause and Cure of a Wounded ConscienceHere, scent of means seem to show a quality, like humility.

    Similarsmell

    Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of scent apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old French sentir, "to feel, smell", from Latin sentire, "to feel". The letter c was added in the 1600s.