smell

Universal Words verb, noun verb (smelled, smelled) (BrE also smelt, smelt ) 1 ~ (of sth) to have a particular smell: [V-ADJ] The room smelt damp. * Dinner smells good. * a bunch of sweet-smelling flowers * [V] His breath smelt of garlic. * What does the perfume smell like? * The house smelt of cedar wood and fresh polish. 2 [nopassive] (not used in the progressive tenses; often with can or could) to notice or recognize a particular smell: [VN] He said he could smell gas when he entered the room. * The dog had smelt a rabbit. * I could smell alcohol on his breath. * [VN-ing] Can you smell something burning? [also V(that)] 3 [VN] (not usually used in the passive) to put your nose near sth and breathe in so that you can discover or identify its smell: Smell this and tell me what you think it is. * I bent down to smell the flowers. 4 [V] (not used in the progressive tenses) to have an unpleasant smell: The drains smell. * It smells in here. * He hadn't washed for days and was beginning to smell. 5 [V] (not used in the progressive tenses) to be able to smell: Can birds smell? * Insects smell by turning their antennae to scents in the air. 6 [VN] [nopassive] (written) to feel that sth exists or is going to happen: He smelt danger. * I can smell trouble. IDIOMS come up / out of sth smelling of roses (informal) to still have a good reputation, even though you have been involved in sth 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. smell a rat (informal) to suspect that sth is wrong about a situation PHRASALVERBS smell sb/sth<->out 1 to be aware of fear, danger, trouble, etc. in a situation: He could always smell out fear. 2 to find sth by smelling: dogs trained to smell out drugs noun 1 [C,U] the quality of sth that people and animals sense through their noses: a faint / strong smell of garlic * a sweet / fresh / musty smell * There was a smell of burning in the air. * The smells from the kitchen filled the room. 2 [sing.] an unpleasant smell: What's that smell? * Yuk! What a smell! 3 [U] the ability to sense things with the nose: Dogs have a very good sense of smell. * Taste and smell are closely connected. 4 [C] the act of smelling sth: He took one smell of the liquid and his eyes began to water. IDIOMS see SWEETadj. ______________________________ VOCABULARYBUILDING smells Describing smells These adjectives describe pleasant smells: scented candles aromatic oils fragrant perfume sweet-smelling flowers To describe unpleasant smells you can use: smelly cheese stinking fish musty old books acrid smoke Types of smell: Pleasant smells: the rich aroma of fresh coffee a herb with a delicate fragrance a rose's sweet perfume the scent of wild flowers Unpleasant smells: nasty household odours the stench of rotting meat the stink of stale sweat the reek of beer and tobacco ______________________________