smell

verb (used with object)

to perceive the odor or scent of through the nose by means of the olfactory nerves; inhale the odor of: I smell something burning.

to test by the sense of smell: She smelled the meat to see if it was fresh.

to perceive, detect, or discover by shrewdness or sagacity: The detective smelled foul play.

verb (used without object)

to perceive something by its odor or scent.

to search or investigate (followed by around or about ).

to give off or have an odor or scent: Do the yellow roses smell?

to give out an offensive odor; stink.

to have a particular odor (followed by of ): My hands smell of fish.

to have a trace or suggestion (followed by of ).

10.

Informal. to be of inferior quality; stink: The play is good, but the direction smells.

11.

Informal. to have the appearance or a suggestion of guilt or corruption: They may be honest, but the whole situation smells.

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noun

12.

the sense of smell; faculty of smelling.

13.

the quality of a thing that is or may be smelled; odor; scent.

14.

a trace or suggestion.

15.

an act or instance of smelling.

16.

a pervading appearance, character, quality, or influence: the smell of money.

Verb phrases

17.

smell out, to look for or detect as if by smelling; search out: to smell out enemy spies.

18.

smell up, to fill with an offensive odor; stink up: The garbage smelled up the yard.

Idioms

19.

smell a rat. rat ( def 6 ).

Origin:
1125–75; early Middle English smell, smull (noun), smellen, smullen (v.) < ?

Related forms

smell·a·ble, adjective

smell-less, adjective

out·smell, verb (used with object), out·smelled or out·smelt, out·smel·ling.

un·smelled, adjective

un·smell·ing, adjective

Synonyms
13. See odor.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Smell

Collins

World English Dictionary

smell (smɛl)

—vb (often foll by of) (often foll by out) (foll by of) , smells, smelling, smelt, smelled
1.	(tr) to perceive the scent or odour of (a substance) by means of the olfactory nerves
2.	(copula) to have a specified smell; appear to the sense of smell to be: the beaches smell of seaweed; some tobacco smells very sweet
3.	to emit an odour (of): the park smells of flowers
4.	(intr) to emit an unpleasant odour; stink
5.	to detect through shrewdness or instinct
6.	(intr) to have or use the sense of smell; sniff
7.	to give indications (of): he smells of money
8.	(intr; foll by around, about, etc) to search, investigate, or pry
9.	(copula) to be or seem to be untrustworthy or corrupt
10.	smell a rat to detect something suspicious

—n
11.	that sense (olfaction) by which scents or odours are perceivedRelated: olfactory
12.	anything detected by the sense of smell; odour; scent
13.	a trace or indication
14.	the act or an instance of smelling

Related: olfactory

[C12: of uncertain origin; compare Middle Dutch smölen to scorch]

'smeller

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

smell

c.1175, "emit or perceive an odor," also n., "odor, aroma, stench," not found in O.E., perhaps cognate with M.Du. smolen, Low Ger. smelen "to smolder" (see smolder). OED says "no doubt of O.E. origin, but not recorded, and not represented in any of the cognate languages."

Ousted O.E. stenc (see stench) in most senses. Someone should revive smell-feast (n.) "one who scents out where free food is to be had" (1519, "very common" c.1540-1700, OED) and smell-smock "licentious man" (c.1550-1900). To smell a rat "be suspicious" is from 1550.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

smell (směl)
v. smelled or smelt (smělt), smell·ing, smells
To perceive the scent of something by means of the olfactory nerves. n.
The sense by which odors are perceived; the olfactory sense.

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

smell

In addition to the idioms beginning with smell, also see come up (smelling like) roses; stink (smell) to high heaven.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

smell

the detection and identification by sensory organs of airborne chemicals. The concept of smell, as it applies to humans, becomes less distinct when invertebrates and lower vertebrates (fish and amphibians) are considered, because many lower animals detect chemicals in the environment by means of receptors in various locations on the body, and no invertebrate possesses a chemoreceptive structure resembling the vertebrate nasal cavity. For this reason, many authorities prefer to regard smell as distance chemoreception and taste as contact chemoreception.

Learn more about smell with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences

Select the fish with your nose: it should smell ocean-fresh or be odorless.

IT sounds smart to control the odor in cars by minimizing the smell of what

goes into them.

But the point, the miraculous point, is that he has no smell at all.

Leaves and stems are clammy to the touch, and have a strong but not unpleasant

smell.