Definitions for smell
smɛlsmell

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. smell, odor, odour, olfactory sensation, olfactory perceptionnoun

   the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form

   "she loved the smell of roses"

2. olfactory property, smell, aroma, odor, odour, scentnoun

   any property detected by the olfactory system

3. spirit, tone, feel, feeling, flavor, flavour, look, smellnoun

   the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people

   "the feel of the city excited him"; "a clergyman improved the tone of the meeting"; "it had the smell of treason"

4. smell, sense of smell, olfaction, olfactory modalitynoun

   the faculty that enables us to distinguish scents

5. smell, smellingverb

   the act of perceiving the odor of something

6. smellverb

   inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense

7. smellverb

   emit an odor

   "The soup smells good"

8. smellverb

   smell bad

   "He rarely washes, and he smells"

9. smack, reek, smellverb

   have an element suggestive (of something)

   "his speeches smacked of racism"; "this passage smells of plagiarism"

10. smell, smell out, senseverb

    become aware of not through the senses but instinctively

    "I sense his hostility"; "i smell trouble"; "smell out corruption"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. smellnoun

   A sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by inhaling air (or, the case of water-breathing animals, water) carrying airborne molecules of a substance.

   I love the smell of fresh bread.

2. smellnoun

   The sense that detects odours.

3. smellverb

   To sense a smell or smells.

4. smellverb

   To have a particular smell, whether good or bad; if descriptive, followed by "like" or "of".

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Smellnoun

   Etymology: from the verb.

   1. Power of smelling; the sense of which the nose is the organ.

   Next, in the nostrils she doth use the smell,
   As God the breath of life in them did give;
   So makes he now this pow’r in them to dwell,
   To judge all airs, whereby we breathe, and live. Davies.

   2. Scent; power of affecting the nose.

   The sweetest smell in the air is the white double violet, which comes twice a-year. Francis Bacon.

   All sweet smells have joined with them some earthy or crude odours. Francis Bacon.

   Pleasant smells are not confined unto vegetables, but found in divers animals. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours.

   There is a great variety of smells, though we have but a few names for them: the smell of a violet and of musk, both sweet, are as distinct as any two smells. John Locke.

2. To Smellverb

   Etymology: Of this word the etymology is very obscure. Stephen Skinner, the most acute of all etymologists, derives it from smoel, warm, Dutch; because smells are encreased by heat.

   1. To perceive by the nose.

   Their neighbours hear the same musick, or smell the same perfumes with themselves: for here is enough. Collier.

   2. To find out by mental sagacity.

   The horse smelt him out, and presently a crochet came in his head how to countermine him. Roger L'Estrange.

3. To Smellverb

   1. To strike the nostrils.

   The king is but a man as I am: the violet smells to him as it doth to me; all his senses have but human conditions. William Shakespeare.

   The daintiest smells of flowers are out of those plants whose leaves smell not. Francis Bacon, Natural History.

   2. To have any particular scent.

   Honey in Spain smelleth apparently of the rosemary or orange, from whence the bee gathereth it. Francis Bacon.

   A work of this nature is not to be performed upon one leg, and should smell of oil if duly handled. Brown.

   If you have a silver saucepan, and the butter smells of smoak, lay the fault upon the coals. Jonathan Swift.

   3. To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality.

   My unsoil’d name, the austereness of my life,
   Will so your accusation overweigh,
   That you shall stifle in your own report,
   And smell of calumny. William Shakespeare.

   Down with the nose, take the bridge quite away
   Of him that his particular to forefend,
   Smells from the general weal. William Shakespeare.

   A man so smelling of the people’s lee,
   The court receiv’d him first for charity. Dryden.

   4. To practise the act of smelling.

   Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall be cut off. Exod. xxx. 38.

   I had a mind to know, whether they would find out the treasure, and whether smelling enabled them to know what is good for their nourishment. Joseph Addison, Spectator.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Smellnoun

   to perceive by the olfactory nerves, or organs of smell; to have a sensation of, excited through the nasal organs when affected by the appropriate materials or qualities; to obtain the scent of; as, to smell a rose; to smell perfumes

2. Smellnoun

   to detect or perceive, as if by the sense of smell; to scent out; -- often with out

3. Smellnoun

   to give heed to

4. Smellverb

   to affect the olfactory nerves; to have an odor or scent; -- often followed by of; as, to smell of smoke, or of musk

5. Smellverb

   to have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savor; as, a report smells of calumny

6. Smellverb

   to exercise the sense of smell

7. Smellverb

   to exercise sagacity

8. Smellverb

   the sense or faculty by which certain qualities of bodies are perceived through the instrumentally of the olfactory nerves. See Sense

9. Smellverb

   the quality of any thing or substance, or emanation therefrom, which affects the olfactory organs; odor; scent; fragrance; perfume; as, the smell of mint

10. Etymology: [OE. smellen, smillen, smullen; cf. LG. smellen, smelen, smlen, schmelen, to smoke, to reek, D. smeulen to smolder, and E. smolder. Cf. Smell, n.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Smell

   smel, v.i. to affect the nose: to have odour: to use the sense of smell.—v.t. to perceive by the nose:—pa.t. and pa.p. smelled or smelt.—n. the quality of bodies which affects the nose: odour: perfume: the sense which perceives this quality.—ns. Smell′er; Smell′-feast, a greedy fellow; Smell′ing, the sense by which smells are perceived; Smell′ing-bott′le, a bottle containing smelling-salts, or the like; Smell′ing-salts, a preparation of ammonium carbonate with lavender, &c., used as a stimulant in faintness, &c.; Smell′-trap, a drain-trap.—adj. Smell′y, having a bad smell.—Smell a rat (see Rat); Smell out, to find out by prying. [Allied to Low Ger. smelen, Dut. smeulen, to smoulder.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Smell

   The ability to detect scents or odors, such as the function of OLFACTORY RECEPTOR NEURONS.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. smell

   The ability to perceive and sense through the nose and related elements.

   My husband did smell my perfume as he was very complimentary.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on December 31, 2019  

Matched Categories

1. • Atmosphere
   • Cause To Be Perceived
   • Perceive
   • Smell
   • Suggest

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'smell' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3803

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'smell' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2408

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'smell' in Nouns Frequency: #1374

4. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'smell' in Verbs Frequency: #629

How to pronounce smell?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say smell in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of smell in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of smell in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of smell in a Sentence

1. Shannon Doherty:

   Everyone is going to want to come to your house cause it’s going to smell so good.

2. Scott C. Holstad:

   she had this inherent need to create a new identity for each and every occasion, to become someone different every day to mask the emptiness, the pain of true isolation. If you tried you could smell the death surrounding her; a dead soul is black regardless of what it may be wearing.

3. Oprah Winfrey:

   ' flowers while he's still well enough to smell them.

4. Ohio Gov. John Kasich:

   They want to look at you, they want to poke you, maybe take a little smell once in a while, size you up and try to figure out if you've got the right stuff to be president of the United States, and I think it's a great process.

5. John Hayes:

   It's really consequential to appetite and social relations, like people have lost their sense of smell may not be able to detect if they have body odor, and can impact diet too.

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