Dictionary
smell
Pronunciation: (smel), [key]
—v., smelled or smelt, smell•ing,
—n.
—
v.t.
1. to perceive the odor or scent of through the nose by means of the olfactory nerves; inhale the odor of:
I smell something burning.
2. to test by the sense of smell:
She smelled the meat to see if it was fresh.
3. to perceive, detect, or discover by shrewdness or sagacity:
The detective smelled foul play.
—
v.i.
1. to perceive something by its odor or scent.
2. to search or investigate (fol. by
around or
about).
3. to give off or have an odor or scent:
Do the yellow roses smell?
4. to give out an offensive odor; stink.
5. to have a particular odor (fol. by
of):
My hands smell of fish.
6. to have a trace or suggestion (fol. by
of).
7. Informal.to be of inferior quality; stink:
The play is good, but the direction smells.
8. Informal.to have the appearance or a suggestion of guilt or corruption:
They may be honest, but the whole situation smells.
9. smell a rat. See
rat (def. 6).
10. smell out,to look for or detect as if by smelling; search out:
to smell out enemy spies.
11. smell up,to fill with an offensive odor; stink up:
The garbage smelled up the yard.
—
n.
1. the sense of smell; faculty of smelling.
2. the quality of a thing that is or may be smelled; odor; scent.
3. a trace or suggestion.
4. an act or instance of smelling.
5. a pervading appearance, character, quality, or influence:
the smell of money. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
