smell noun
ADJ. overpowering, pervasive, pungent, rich, sharp, strong There was an overpowering smell of burning tyres. | faint | distinct | distinctive, particular, unmistakable | funny, peculiar, strange, unusual What's that funny smell? | familiar | lingering | aromatic, delectable, delicious, fragrant, fresh, lovely, nice, savoury, sweet, wonderful the aromatic smells of a spring garden full of herbs| warm | appalling, awful, bad, evil, horrible, nasty, offensive, terrible, unpleasant, vile | acrid, nauseating, putrid, rank, sickly An acrid smell filled the air. | damp, dank, musty, rancid, sour, stale the sour smell of unwashed linen | earthy, fishy, masculine, metallic, musky, oily, smoky, spicy | cooking Cooking smells drifted up from the kitchen.
SMELL + VERB come, emanate, drift, float, waft A delicious smell of freshly baked bread wafted across the garden. | fill sth, hang | hit sb Then the pungent smell hit us?rotting fish and seaweed.VERB + SMELL be filled with, have The air was filled with a pervasive smell of chemicals. The cottage had a musty smell after being shut up over the winter. | give off The skunk gives off an unpleasant smell when attacked. | catch, detect As she walked into the house she detected the smell of gas.
PREP. ~ from the putrid smell from the slaughterhouse | ~ of The faint smell of her perfume hung in the air.
smell verb
1 notice/identify sth by using your nose
ADV. properly, well I had a streaming cold, so I could not smell properly. | almost Snow fell so that you could almost smell the cold.
VERB + SMELL can/could
2 have a particular smell
ADV. strongly His clothes smelled strongly of fish. | faintly, slightly, vaguely He smelled faintly of sweat. | deliciously, pleasantly, sweetly
PREP. like It smells like rotten meat! | of The kitchen smelled sweetly of herbs and fruit.