smell
verb/smel/
/smel/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they smell | /smel/ /smel/ |
| he / she / it smells | /smelz/ /smelz/ |
| past simple smelled | /smeld/ /smeld/ |
| past participle smelled | /smeld/ /smeld/ |
| (British English also) past simple smelt | /smelt/ /smelt/ |
| (British English also) past participle smelt | /smelt/ /smelt/ |
| -ing form smelling | /ˈsmelɪŋ/ /ˈsmelɪŋ/ |
- linking verb to have a particular smell
- + adj. The room smelt damp.
- Dinner smells good.
- ‘You smell nice,’ Aidan said with a smile.
- a bunch of sweet-smelling flowers
- smell of something His breath smelt of garlic.
- When he did come home, he smelled of alcohol.
- The house smelt of cedar wood and fresh polish.
- smell like something What does the perfume smell like?
- Hydrogen sulphide smells like rotten eggs.
- The crisp air smells like clean hay.
Extra Examples- He smelled faintly of sweat.
- His clothes smelled strongly of fish.
- The kitchen smelled sweetly of herbs and fruit.
- It smells like rotten meat!
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- strongly
- faintly
- slightly
- …
- like
- of
- [transitive, no passive] (not used in the progressive tenses; often with can or could) to notice or recognize a particular smell
- smell something I was watching television when I smelled smoke.
- He said he could smell gas when he entered the room.
- The dog had smelt a rabbit.
- I could smell alcohol on his breath.
- Snow fell so that you could almost smell the cold.
- smell something doing something Can you smell something burning?
- As she came downstairs, she smelled bacon cooking.
- smell (that)… I could smell that something was burning.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- almost
- practically
- can
- [intransitive, transitive] (not used in the progressive tenses; often with can or could) to be able to notice and recognize smells
- I can't smell because I've got a bad cold.
- smell something I can't smell anything because I've got a bad cold.
- [transitive] smell something (not usually used in the passive) to put your nose near something and breathe in so that you can discover or identify its smell synonym sniff
- Smell this and tell me what you think it is.
- I bent down to smell the flowers.
- He leaned in closer and smelled the perfume she was wearing.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- almost
- practically
- can
- [intransitive] (not used in the progressive tenses) to have an unpleasant smell
- The drains smell.
- Does my breath smell?
- He hadn't washed for days and was beginning to smell.
- After a few days, the meat began to smell.
- It smells in here.
- + adj. It smells awful in here.
- [transitive, no passive] smell something to feel that something exists or is going to happen
- He smelt danger.
- I can smell trouble.
Word OriginMiddle English: of unknown origin.
Idioms
See smell in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee smell in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishcome up/out of something smelling of roses
- (informal) to still have a good reputation, even though you have been involved in something that might have given people a bad opinion of you
- Nobody ever knew the details and he came out of the deal smelling of roses.
a rose by any other name would smell as sweet
- (saying) what is important is what people or things are, not what they are called
smell a rat
- (informal) to suspect that something is wrong about a situation
wake up and smell the coffee
- (informal) used to tell somebody to become aware of what is really happening in a situation, especially when this is something unpleasant
Check pronunciation:
smell