Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

smell

 - definition
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb American English pronunciation: smell /smel/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theysmell
he/she/itsmells
present participlesmelling
past tensesmelled or smelt
past participlesmelled or smelt
Other entries for this word
 
  1. 1
    [linking verb] to have a particular smell

    This room smells a little damp.

    a strong-smelling perfume

    This milk smells off (=no longer fresh).

    smell of:

    The laboratory smelled strongly of chemicals.

    smell like:

    It smells like a bar in here.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of smell
    1. a.
      [intransitive] [never progressive] to have an unpleasant smell

      His feet really smell.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of smell
  2. 2
    [transitive] [never progressive] to notice or recognize the smell of something

    Sasha could smell the sweet aroma of warm chocolate.

    Do you smell gas?

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of smell
  4. 4
    [intransitive] [never progressive] to be able to experience the smell of things

    I can't smell at all with this cold.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of smell
  5. 5
    [transitive] to feel that something is going to happen, usually something bad
    smell danger/trouble:

    I could just smell trouble in that club.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of smell
  6. 6
    [intransitive] to be illegal or dishonest

    I can't put my finger on it, but something about this deal really smells.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of smell

phrases

phrasal verbs

See also

This is the American English definition of smell. View British English definition of smell.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

 

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

neutron

the part of the nucleus of an atom that has no electrical charge

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog