smell

SMEL/smɛl/

Pluralsmells

Verbsmells, smelling, smelled

9 meanings of smell

Practice

1
odornouncountable or uncountable
A feeling you get through your nose when tiny bits of something float in the air.
Like the way you know cookies are baking before you even see them.
The smell of fresh bread filled the kitchen.
A strange smell came from the basement.
UsageSay the smell of something.
Similarodor, scent, aroma, whiff, stench
2
give off (odor)verbintransitive
To give off a certain smell, good or bad.
These cookies smell amazing.
Your jacket smells like smoke.
UsageSay it smells good or smells of garlic.
Similarreek, stink
Note
3
detect odorverbtransitive
To notice a smell using your nose.
I can smell the cookies baking.
She smelled smoke and ran outside.
UsageOften Can you smell it?
Similarsense, detect
4
ability (nose)noununcountable
The power to notice smells using your nose.
Like a built-in alarm that warns you when food has gone bad.
A bad cold can take away your sense of smell for days.
Some animals rely on smell more than sight to find food.
UsageUsually sense of smell.
Similarscent, nose, olfaction
Note
5
stinkverbintransitive
To give off a bad smell.
Those old sneakers really smell.
The trash will smell if you don't take it out.
UsageIt smells means it smells bad.
Similarstink, reek, pong, whiff
6
detect (hidden)verbtransitive
To find out or notice something hidden.
Like guessing a surprise is coming before anyone tells you.
A good detective can smell a lie.
She smelled trouble the moment they walked in.
UsageOften smell trouble or smell out something.
Similardetect, sense
Note

Less common meanings

7
hint of wrongnounusually singular
A sign of a particular quality, especially something bad or dishonest.
Like getting a bad feeling about a plan before anything has gone wrong.
There was a smell of dishonesty about the whole deal.
Investigators caught the smell of fraud early on.
UsageOften has a bad smell to it.
Similarwhiff, scent, hint, air, suggestion
8
show signs ofverbfigurativelyintransitive
To seem to show signs of a certain quality, good or bad.
Like sensing someone is lying even when they sound polite.
Their excuses smell of desperation.
The whole scheme smelled of greed.
UsageSay it smells of something.
Similarsmack, reek, suggest
Note
9
verbobsolete
To pay close attention to something.
So from that tyme forwarde I began to ſmell the word of god, and forſoke the ſchole doctors and ſuch foolries.
1552, Hugh Latimer, Augustine BernherHere, smell means to pay attention to, so he began to heed God's word.
Note

Practice

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

Origin

This word comes from Middle English smellen. It goes back to an old root meaning to burn, smoke, or smolder.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Smell comes from Middle English smellen. en.wiktionary.org
Smell ultimately derives from a root meaning to burn, smoke, or smolder. en.wiktionary.org