请输入您要查询的英文单词:

 

单词 smell
释义

Definition of smell in English:

smell

noun smɛlsmɛl
mass noun
  • 1The faculty or power of perceiving odours or scents by means of the organs in the nose.

    a highly developed sense of smell
    dogs locate the bait by smell
    Example sentencesExamples
    • According to a recent report in Nature, differing airflow in the right and left nostrils results in different perceptions of smell.
    • Cigarette smoking by itself does not cause complete loss of the sense of smell.
    • Humans may have two nostrils, but these don't necessarily share the same sense of smell.
    • Wild cats have a well developed sense of smell and hearing.
    • These animals track their prey using their excellent sense of smell, eyesight, and hearing.
    • Some women find that they have an enhanced sense of smell and are more sensitive to odors during pregnancy.
    • Hummingbirds don't have much sense of smell, so the scent of the herbs won't deter them from seeking nectar from their blossoms.
    • Advancing age is also associated with a decrease in the basal metabolic rate, as well as changes in the senses of taste and smell.
    • The patient should be asked about the use of tobacco or cocaine, because these substances can adversely affect the sense of smell.
    • Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease can make people lose their sense of smell.
    • But if you're eating leaves, smell becomes less important than vision.
    • Deer are extremely cautious animals with keen senses of smell and hearing.
    • Because dogs have a very high sense of smell, they were able to detect minute quantities of the organic compounds produced by tumors.
    • She loved her sharp sense of hearing, her sharp sense of smell, her sharp vision, and her sharp claws.
    • On the day of the test none of the subjects reported to be suffering from nasal congestion or any other symptom thought to affect their sense of smell.
    • In order to perceive the smell of a grapefruit, our sense of smell only requires just two molecules, the chemical eye needs hundreds if not thousands to stick to its gold chips.
    • All anteaters have an excellent sense of smell; sight and hearing are not as well developed.
    • Smoking can also affect your breathing, taste and sense of smell.
    • Yes, lobsters' small antennae work like the human nose, only the crustaceans' sense of smell is keener.
    • It's hard to breathe, your nose drips constantly and your sense of smell just isn't what it used to be.
    1. 1.1count noun A quality in something that is perceived by the faculty of smell; an odour or scent.
      lingering kitchen smells
      a smell of coffee
      Example sentencesExamples
      • As I opened the door to the kitchen, the wonderful smells of Christmas baking met my nose, and I wanted just to sit down and enjoy it for hours on end.
      • He followed me up the stairs into the lit up kitchen where the smells from dinner were still lingering.
      • He said the new silo would not affect the smells and odours from the premises, since it would be enclosed and would not alter the processes taking place at the plant.
      • The restaurant itself came with the scents and smells of peppers and other spices.
      • I felt the cold ocean breeze blow across my face, filling my nose with the salty smell of the ocean.
      • I followed Shelia into the large kitchen; the smells made me hungry!
      • You can fry these a little in advance if you really do not want oily smells lingering.
      • It's full of the most wonderful sights and smells - stalls with cheap but high quality vegetables, meats and breads.
      • Tara's nose tuned into smell of breakfast and decided to go downstairs to get a bite to eat.
      • The smells of coffee and frying bacon teased his appetite as he looked around studying the scene.
      • The workshop was full of the smells of freshly brewed coffee, hot metal and scorched cloth.
      • The air filled with the fragrant smells of the meadow.
      • American breakfasts are a combination of all of the above: simple food, wholesome ingredients, frying, baking, sweet and savoury divine smells and lots of it.
      • Today's the day for refuse collection where I live, and the miasma of smells and stench from the bins was like wading through a marsh this morning.
      • Putrid smells of raw sewage and burning garbage become acceptable after being exposed to these foul scents for a long enough time.
      • Some people have hypersensitive skin and are allergic to various pollen, fragrant smells and sunlight.
      • Christmas morning came with the smells of pine from candles and coffee in the kitchen.
      • As we were driving down these terrible, lumpy, unlit streets we were constantly catching whiffs of different smells.
      • And then, before I could get to working out another approach to the opening, rich fruity baking smells came wafting along from the kitchen and my working day was done.
      • Sitting in the verandah, the separate smells of tomatoes, lemons and gourd reach me, and I know I will smell them again in my memory.
      Synonyms
      odour, whiff
      aroma, fragrance, scent, perfume, redolence, tang, savour
      bouquet, nose
    2. 1.2 An unpleasant odour.
      twenty-seven cats lived there—you can imagine the smell!
      Example sentencesExamples
      • It took us forever to figure out why we had a smell when we'd open certain upper cabinets in the kitchen.
      • My last apartment had a smell to it - though I have no idea why.
      Synonyms
      stench, stink, reek, fetidness, effluvium, miasma
      British informal pong, niff, whiff, hum
      Scottish informal guff
      North American informal funk
      rare fetor, malodour, mephitis
    3. 1.3 An act of inhaling in order to ascertain an odour or scent.
      have a smell of this
      Example sentencesExamples
      • He had a smell of the rose, it had a lovely perfume.
      • I love citrus -- but the first time I sprayed this on a card and took a smell I almost passed out. It is STRONG in the first few minutes.
verbsmelled, smelt smɛlsmɛl
  • 1with object Perceive or detect the odour or scent of (something)

    I think I can smell something burning
    no object becoming deaf or blind or unable to smell
    Example sentencesExamples
    • I could smell the essence of perfume coming from her body, and when I touched her skin, it was incredibly soft and smooth.
    • I strode along the deck, letting the breeze blow my hair around and smelling the cool ocean scent.
    • He could smell the intoxicating bubble-gum perfume as she neared him, and the scent lingered in the air long after she rushed by him.
    • They would hear booms far out in the ocean, see the smoke or the nighttime glow of burning ships on the horizon, and smell burning fuel on the sea breeze.
    • He kissed the top of her head, smelling the sweet lavender scent of her shampoo.
    • Sure enough she was wearing her Sunday morning church dress, and all the way up on the landing, Troy could smell her mothers lilac perfume.
    • I could hear fireworks, and smell the smoke from bonfires, and I fell asleep.
    • I saw a flickering light and smelt the burning smoke of candle.
    • He smelt her jasmine scented hair and played with it as he watched her sleep off the alcohol.
    • He could smell coffee and he heard someone unwrapping a burger.
    • It was then that Betty could have sworn she smelled a hint of perfume in the air and it didn't belong to her.
    • The mother of three owns a natural products shop in Oriental, N.C., but was unable to smell the fragrant herbs she sells.
    • I smelt the familiar cigarette odour as it attacked my nostrils, and clung on tighter.
    • I could still smell burning plastic, though when the wind was blowing.
    • As we neared the dock I smelled the river and heard the soft rush of waves against the wood.
    • From inside, I could hear the crackling of a fire and could smell the burning wood.
    • As our lunch table was set beside the rape fields and the river, we could smell rape flower perfume and feel the gentle breeze from the river.
    • You can usually hear him swearing and smell the cigar smoke before he approaches.
    • They smelled smoke and heard the crackling of the fast-moving fire.
    • Ian was not even to the seventh floor before he heard whispering voices and smelled food.
    Synonyms
    get a whiff of, scent, get a sniff of, detect the smell of
    1. 1.1 Sniff at (something) in order to perceive or detect its odour or scent.
      the dogs smell each other
      Example sentencesExamples
      • If a dog indicates to its handler that it can smell an illicit substance, the officer can order an on-the-spot body search.
      • A police dog who happens to smell an illegal substance on casual passing in a train station is probably cause for detaining you.
      • And the new initiatives are bomb sniffing dogs we are looking at, so can smell explosives hidden in containers.
      • We separated the cats into two separate rooms and let them smell each other under the door.
      • To introduce the cats, keep them separated for a few days, allowing them to smell each others bedding.
      Synonyms
      sniff, nose
    2. 1.2smell something out Detect or discover something by the faculty of smell.
      his nose can smell out an animal from ten miles away
      Example sentencesExamples
      • I think a few more of those pastries have my name on them,’ she said looking down the hall to see if she could smell them out.
    3. 1.3 Detect or suspect (something) by means of instinct or intuition.
      he can smell trouble long before it gets serious
      he can smell out weakness in others
      Example sentencesExamples
      • From a distance, it smells as if the national-security hoop-de-do about the Valerie Plame leak is exaggerated.
      • Lemond was unconvinced and believed, like many others, Hinault could smell a record sixth victory.
      • Voters smell out opportunism from a long way off and don't like it.
      • We need people who have the skills to smell out somebody who comes along to try to fit us up - and I am talking about us, about Maori, as well.
      • Even without any evidence he can smell out the truth.
      • I'm open to being convinced it's not some politicians having hysterics, but so far, that's how it smells to me.
      • The National Party council could smell the trouble back then in December.
      • The more I've thought about this one, the more it smells to me.
  • 2no object Emit an odour or scent of a specified kind.

    the place smelled of damp
    with complement the food smelt and tasted good
    a strong-smelling herb
    Example sentencesExamples
    • The passage Ruse had found was dark and damp and the air smelled like wet grass after it had rained hard for several days.
    • Tonight she'd simply put a frozen pizza in the oven and taken it out when it smelled done.
    • Her hair smelled like the roses, and her scent was of lavender.
    • But something else came with the earthy scent - something that smelled like smoke.
    • I inhaled his scent, my face in his chest; he smelled like grass after it just finished raining.
    • The room smelled like jasmine, and the scent didn't go away even when he'd opened the window earlier in the day.
    • It went on like this for several more rounds before what was in the pot finally tasted and smelled like something you'd want to serve on pasta.
    • In some cases, the vomited milk may smell curdled because it has mixed with stomach acid.
    • The hairdresser tied a cape around his shoulders, washed his hair with shampoo that smelled like peaches.
    • Sometimes the air would smell polluted, but I guess that was because the neighborhood we were driving through lived near the dump.
    • He tasted it, because it sure smelled like bread, and then ate it.
    • It smelled like lavender, a smooth, calming scent, and I dumped it generously into the water.
    • The inside of the restaurant smelled like an odd mixture of pine trees and food.
    • The highly effective, biodegradable stuff smells so fresh that it just might refine your sense of clean for good.
    • Its shape was that of a gull drawn by a child with a soft hand and sense of things aesthetic and it smelled lightly of sandalwood as he drew near us.
    • He smelled like strawberries, an innocent summery scent that flooded over and through me, evoking memories and images of a time not so long gone.
    • The vagrant, who was filthy and smelled like sewage, walked alongside the man and kept tugging at his elbow while demanding money.
    • I had never set foot in a courtroom before; it was cold and smelled like damp, musty wood.
    • I knew because it smelled sterilized and everything was white and boring.
    • You poured in everything that was left of the geranium essence, until the room was warm and scented and smelled like an exotic hothouse.
    1. 2.1 Have a strong or unpleasant odour.
      if I don't get a bath soon I'll start to smell
      it smells in here
      Example sentencesExamples
      • It is hard to describe what it is like under these bridges, where there is not enough height for a person to stand up straight, it smells, and the wind blows and even howls through the darkness.
      • It smells here....after three weeks of fresh air, I really notice it.
      • Someone comes into the building and it smells, things fall off in their hands, the floor doesn't look too secure.
      • The carcass which had already began to smell revealed a red mess with two holes where eyes should have been.
      • It smells in here, the toilet won't flush.
      Synonyms
      stink, stink to high heaven, reek, have a bad smell, be stinking, be malodorous
      British informal pong, hum
    2. 2.2 Appear in a certain way; be suggestive of something.
      it smells like a hoax to me
      Example sentencesExamples
      • I'm sure the parent company is optimistic but this smells like the beginning of the end of Koo Koo Roo to me.
      • Regardless of whether Kranish ever meant to write fluff for Kerry's book or not, the Elliott story smells like a put-up job.
      Synonyms
      give the impression of, smack of, savour of, have the hallmarks of, have all the signs of, seem/appear like, have the air of, suggest

Phrases

  • smell blood

    • Discern weakness or vulnerability in an opponent.

      the leader of the opposition, who smelt blood, accused the government of the biggest tax hike ever
      Example sentencesExamples
      • But it is the conservative opposition that is smelling blood as the Greek Socialists struggle desperately to avoid defeat next Sunday, forcing them out of office after more than 20 years of almost uninterrupted rule.
      • Oppositions always cry resign when they smell blood, merely because that's what Oppositions do.
      • The Tories will smell blood and be an effective opposition again at last.
      • They smelled blood against a Dundee side notoriously fragile whenever there is the first sign of trouble and, displaying a bite they suddenly started to hunt down their opponents.
      • He smells blood now, and he wants a clearer victory.
      • And, within hours of the first setback of his Ibrox management, they are thrown face-to-face with a Celtic side which smells blood.
      • Ignoring such figures would undoubtedly result in cabinet resignations as the likely leadership candidates, smelling blood, jockey for position.
      • His political adversaries are smelling blood.
      • But Hide enters the fray as soon as he smells blood on anyone.
      • But in both cases people from all quarters of the organizations smelled blood and came after leaders who they had long disliked.
  • smell a rat

    • informal Begin to suspect trickery or deception.

      when he died, investigators were called in and soon smelt a rat
      Example sentencesExamples
      • This is another reason for union leaders to smell a rat: it looks like this another attempt to privatize more city services.
      • I only mention it in case you think you smell a rat, but I promise I have nothing to gain by singing its praises.
      • They failed to smell a rat despite Baron Cohen's absurd questions.
      • In fact the paintwork was so perfect, with not a single scratch despite being four years old, that we started to smell a rat.
      • Neil smelt a rat and decided it was best not to proceed.
      • She received payment from Scottish Amicable Life and Scottish Widows, but the third insurance company, Century Life, which was due to pay the largest amount of £287,562, smelt a rat and put an investigator on the case.
      • I smelt a rat and therefore we want a judicial probe into the whole incident to unearth the truth ‘, he said.’
      • As Bell was pathologically private about his past relationships, marriages and children, I smelt a rat, but it took me a while to recognise that the girl in the photograph he held out for me to look at was myself.
      • Residents of Hopgrove were sent letters informing them their wheelie bins would arrive at the beginning of April but, when none turned up, they began to smell a rat.
      • Within a few days however somebody began to smell a rat when the ‘exact same letter’ - except for the signatures of course - began to turn up in eleven different US local newspaper groups.
  • smell the roses

    • informal Enjoy or appreciate what is often ignored.

      they need to wake up and smell the roses
      Example sentencesExamples
      • But of course, now that I'm a woman smelling the roses, living my own life, I won't talk to you a lot about it.
      • Those council members who stated staff was not to be considered need to wake up and smell the roses.
      • All things considered, though, it's time to stop, take a look around, and smell the roses (or newsprint, as the case may be).
      • Well, I suggest he wakes up and smells the roses, because that will not happen under this bill, and certainly not under Part 3.
      • But bloody hell that girl has to wake up and smell the roses.
      • If anyone is bashing what it has achieved, they really should wake up and smell the roses.
      • It's important to take time out once in a while to enjoy the fruits of one's labours, smell the roses and enjoy.
      • If we have enough food on the table, and gainful employment, then we should take time to smell the roses and enjoy the precious moments of our lives - like sands in an hour glass.
      • What I am trying to say to these certain Sligo businessmen is, wake up and smell the roses!
      • So please wake up, read the tea leaves, smell the roses, act and fight for your own cause.

Derivatives

  • smellable

  • adjective
    • Hang all food, garbage, and smellable items in secure bear bags.
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Mammals also use pheromone musks to mark out their territories and routes (since pheromones are just as smellable in the dark).
      • The purpose of a smellable toy is to further the pets interest in playing with the toy.
      • The mama bear checked every part of our camping ground part by a part and searched any smellable things there were.
      • Most of what is commonly called the sense of taste is in fact the sense of smell, whether applied to wine, or any food or drink, since by chewing we transform our food into liquid which gives off smellable vapour.
  • smeller

  • noun
    • Mosquitoes may be great smellers, but they are weak fliers.
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Thus while Lynda learns that ‘good’ smells are relative to the smeller, the reader also assumes from this panel that Lynda's neighbors moved to avoid further contact with the smells from Lynda's home.
      • It is unclear what exactly makes dogs such good smellers, though much more of the dog brain is devoted to smell than it is in humans.

Origin

Middle English: of unknown origin.

  • No one is sure where smell comes from—there is no related word in other languages. To come up smelling of roses is to make a lucky escape from a difficult or unpleasant situation with your reputation intact. Rose bushes thrive on plenty of manure, and the image here is of someone falling into a freshly fertilized rose bed. Dating from the 1930s and American in origin, is stop and smell the roses, or take time to fully appreciate life's pleasures. If someone tells you to wake up and smell the coffee, on the other hand, they are urging you to be less relaxed, and to become more realistic or alert. The phrase was popularized by the US advice columnist Ann Landers from the mid 1950s.

Rhymes

Adele, Aix-la-Chapelle, aquarelle, artel, au naturel, bagatelle, béchamel, befell, bell, belle, boatel, Brunel, Cadell, carousel, cartel, cell, Chanel, chanterelle, clientele, Clonmel, compel, Cornell, crime passionnel, dell, demoiselle, dispel, dwell, el, ell, Estelle, excel, expel, farewell, fell, Fidel, fontanelle, foretell, Gabrielle, gazelle, gel, Giselle, hell, hotel, impel, knell, lapel, mademoiselle, maître d'hôtel, Manuel, marcel, matériel, mesdemoiselles, Michel, Michelle, Miguel, misspell, morel, moschatel, Moselle, motel, muscatel, nacelle, Nell, Nobel, Noel, organelle, outsell, Parnell, pell-mell, personnel, propel, quell, quenelle, rappel, Raquel, Ravel, rebel, repel, Rochelle, Sahel, sardelle, sell, shell, show-and-tell, Snell, spell, spinel, swell, tell, undersell, vielle, villanelle, well, yell
 
 

Definition of smell in US English:

smell

nounsmɛlsmel
  • 1The faculty or power of perceiving odors or scents by means of the organs in the nose.

    a highly developed sense of smell
    dogs locate the bait by smell
    Example sentencesExamples
    • It's hard to breathe, your nose drips constantly and your sense of smell just isn't what it used to be.
    • But if you're eating leaves, smell becomes less important than vision.
    • Advancing age is also associated with a decrease in the basal metabolic rate, as well as changes in the senses of taste and smell.
    • She loved her sharp sense of hearing, her sharp sense of smell, her sharp vision, and her sharp claws.
    • All anteaters have an excellent sense of smell; sight and hearing are not as well developed.
    • The patient should be asked about the use of tobacco or cocaine, because these substances can adversely affect the sense of smell.
    • Deer are extremely cautious animals with keen senses of smell and hearing.
    • Wild cats have a well developed sense of smell and hearing.
    • Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease can make people lose their sense of smell.
    • Hummingbirds don't have much sense of smell, so the scent of the herbs won't deter them from seeking nectar from their blossoms.
    • According to a recent report in Nature, differing airflow in the right and left nostrils results in different perceptions of smell.
    • On the day of the test none of the subjects reported to be suffering from nasal congestion or any other symptom thought to affect their sense of smell.
    • Humans may have two nostrils, but these don't necessarily share the same sense of smell.
    • Yes, lobsters' small antennae work like the human nose, only the crustaceans' sense of smell is keener.
    • Some women find that they have an enhanced sense of smell and are more sensitive to odors during pregnancy.
    • Cigarette smoking by itself does not cause complete loss of the sense of smell.
    • Because dogs have a very high sense of smell, they were able to detect minute quantities of the organic compounds produced by tumors.
    • These animals track their prey using their excellent sense of smell, eyesight, and hearing.
    • In order to perceive the smell of a grapefruit, our sense of smell only requires just two molecules, the chemical eye needs hundreds if not thousands to stick to its gold chips.
    • Smoking can also affect your breathing, taste and sense of smell.
    1. 1.1 A quality in something that is perceived by the faculty of smell; an odor or scent.
      lingering kitchen smells
      a smell of coffee
      Example sentencesExamples
      • The workshop was full of the smells of freshly brewed coffee, hot metal and scorched cloth.
      • As we were driving down these terrible, lumpy, unlit streets we were constantly catching whiffs of different smells.
      • American breakfasts are a combination of all of the above: simple food, wholesome ingredients, frying, baking, sweet and savoury divine smells and lots of it.
      • Putrid smells of raw sewage and burning garbage become acceptable after being exposed to these foul scents for a long enough time.
      • Christmas morning came with the smells of pine from candles and coffee in the kitchen.
      • Tara's nose tuned into smell of breakfast and decided to go downstairs to get a bite to eat.
      • You can fry these a little in advance if you really do not want oily smells lingering.
      • He said the new silo would not affect the smells and odours from the premises, since it would be enclosed and would not alter the processes taking place at the plant.
      • Today's the day for refuse collection where I live, and the miasma of smells and stench from the bins was like wading through a marsh this morning.
      • The smells of coffee and frying bacon teased his appetite as he looked around studying the scene.
      • As I opened the door to the kitchen, the wonderful smells of Christmas baking met my nose, and I wanted just to sit down and enjoy it for hours on end.
      • Sitting in the verandah, the separate smells of tomatoes, lemons and gourd reach me, and I know I will smell them again in my memory.
      • Some people have hypersensitive skin and are allergic to various pollen, fragrant smells and sunlight.
      • And then, before I could get to working out another approach to the opening, rich fruity baking smells came wafting along from the kitchen and my working day was done.
      • The air filled with the fragrant smells of the meadow.
      • I felt the cold ocean breeze blow across my face, filling my nose with the salty smell of the ocean.
      • The restaurant itself came with the scents and smells of peppers and other spices.
      • He followed me up the stairs into the lit up kitchen where the smells from dinner were still lingering.
      • I followed Shelia into the large kitchen; the smells made me hungry!
      • It's full of the most wonderful sights and smells - stalls with cheap but high quality vegetables, meats and breads.
      Synonyms
      odour, whiff
      aroma, fragrance, scent, perfume, redolence, tang, savour
    2. 1.2 An unpleasant odor.
      twenty-seven cats lived there—you can imagine the smell!
      Example sentencesExamples
      • My last apartment had a smell to it - though I have no idea why.
      • It took us forever to figure out why we had a smell when we'd open certain upper cabinets in the kitchen.
      Synonyms
      stench, stink, reek, fetidness, effluvium, miasma
    3. 1.3in singular An act of inhaling in order to ascertain an odor or scent.
      have a smell of this
      Example sentencesExamples
      • He had a smell of the rose, it had a lovely perfume.
      • I love citrus -- but the first time I sprayed this on a card and took a smell I almost passed out. It is STRONG in the first few minutes.
verbsmɛlsmel
  • 1with object Perceive or detect the odor or scent of (something)

    I think I can smell something burning
    Example sentencesExamples
    • I could still smell burning plastic, though when the wind was blowing.
    • He smelt her jasmine scented hair and played with it as he watched her sleep off the alcohol.
    • I saw a flickering light and smelt the burning smoke of candle.
    • He could smell the intoxicating bubble-gum perfume as she neared him, and the scent lingered in the air long after she rushed by him.
    • Sure enough she was wearing her Sunday morning church dress, and all the way up on the landing, Troy could smell her mothers lilac perfume.
    • They would hear booms far out in the ocean, see the smoke or the nighttime glow of burning ships on the horizon, and smell burning fuel on the sea breeze.
    • They smelled smoke and heard the crackling of the fast-moving fire.
    • It was then that Betty could have sworn she smelled a hint of perfume in the air and it didn't belong to her.
    • I could hear fireworks, and smell the smoke from bonfires, and I fell asleep.
    • As we neared the dock I smelled the river and heard the soft rush of waves against the wood.
    • I could smell the essence of perfume coming from her body, and when I touched her skin, it was incredibly soft and smooth.
    • He could smell coffee and he heard someone unwrapping a burger.
    • You can usually hear him swearing and smell the cigar smoke before he approaches.
    • I strode along the deck, letting the breeze blow my hair around and smelling the cool ocean scent.
    • He kissed the top of her head, smelling the sweet lavender scent of her shampoo.
    • The mother of three owns a natural products shop in Oriental, N.C., but was unable to smell the fragrant herbs she sells.
    • I smelt the familiar cigarette odour as it attacked my nostrils, and clung on tighter.
    • From inside, I could hear the crackling of a fire and could smell the burning wood.
    • Ian was not even to the seventh floor before he heard whispering voices and smelled food.
    • As our lunch table was set beside the rape fields and the river, we could smell rape flower perfume and feel the gentle breeze from the river.
    Synonyms
    get a whiff of, scent, get a sniff of, detect the smell of
    1. 1.1 Sniff at (something) in order to perceive or detect its odor or scent.
      the dogs smell each other
      Example sentencesExamples
      • To introduce the cats, keep them separated for a few days, allowing them to smell each others bedding.
      • If a dog indicates to its handler that it can smell an illicit substance, the officer can order an on-the-spot body search.
      • And the new initiatives are bomb sniffing dogs we are looking at, so can smell explosives hidden in containers.
      • A police dog who happens to smell an illegal substance on casual passing in a train station is probably cause for detaining you.
      • We separated the cats into two separate rooms and let them smell each other under the door.
      Synonyms
      sniff, nose
    2. 1.2smell something out Detect or discover something by the faculty of smell.
      his nose can smell out an animal from ten miles away
      Example sentencesExamples
      • I think a few more of those pastries have my name on them,’ she said looking down the hall to see if she could smell them out.
    3. 1.3 Detect or suspect (something) by means of instinct or intuition.
      he can smell trouble long before it gets serious
      he can smell out weakness in others
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Lemond was unconvinced and believed, like many others, Hinault could smell a record sixth victory.
      • The National Party council could smell the trouble back then in December.
      • Even without any evidence he can smell out the truth.
      • I'm open to being convinced it's not some politicians having hysterics, but so far, that's how it smells to me.
      • We need people who have the skills to smell out somebody who comes along to try to fit us up - and I am talking about us, about Maori, as well.
      • From a distance, it smells as if the national-security hoop-de-do about the Valerie Plame leak is exaggerated.
      • The more I've thought about this one, the more it smells to me.
      • Voters smell out opportunism from a long way off and don't like it.
  • 2no object Emit an odor or scent of a specified kind.

    with complement the food smelled and tasted good
    it smelled like cough medicine
    as adjective, in combination pungent-smelling food
    Example sentencesExamples
    • Tonight she'd simply put a frozen pizza in the oven and taken it out when it smelled done.
    • In some cases, the vomited milk may smell curdled because it has mixed with stomach acid.
    • I had never set foot in a courtroom before; it was cold and smelled like damp, musty wood.
    • You poured in everything that was left of the geranium essence, until the room was warm and scented and smelled like an exotic hothouse.
    • The passage Ruse had found was dark and damp and the air smelled like wet grass after it had rained hard for several days.
    • The vagrant, who was filthy and smelled like sewage, walked alongside the man and kept tugging at his elbow while demanding money.
    • But something else came with the earthy scent - something that smelled like smoke.
    • It went on like this for several more rounds before what was in the pot finally tasted and smelled like something you'd want to serve on pasta.
    • The hairdresser tied a cape around his shoulders, washed his hair with shampoo that smelled like peaches.
    • I inhaled his scent, my face in his chest; he smelled like grass after it just finished raining.
    • Sometimes the air would smell polluted, but I guess that was because the neighborhood we were driving through lived near the dump.
    • I knew because it smelled sterilized and everything was white and boring.
    • Her hair smelled like the roses, and her scent was of lavender.
    • He smelled like strawberries, an innocent summery scent that flooded over and through me, evoking memories and images of a time not so long gone.
    • Its shape was that of a gull drawn by a child with a soft hand and sense of things aesthetic and it smelled lightly of sandalwood as he drew near us.
    • He tasted it, because it sure smelled like bread, and then ate it.
    • The room smelled like jasmine, and the scent didn't go away even when he'd opened the window earlier in the day.
    • The highly effective, biodegradable stuff smells so fresh that it just might refine your sense of clean for good.
    • The inside of the restaurant smelled like an odd mixture of pine trees and food.
    • It smelled like lavender, a smooth, calming scent, and I dumped it generously into the water.
    1. 2.1 Have a strong or unpleasant odor.
      if I don't get a bath soon I'll start to smell
      it smells in here
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Someone comes into the building and it smells, things fall off in their hands, the floor doesn't look too secure.
      • The carcass which had already began to smell revealed a red mess with two holes where eyes should have been.
      • It is hard to describe what it is like under these bridges, where there is not enough height for a person to stand up straight, it smells, and the wind blows and even howls through the darkness.
      • It smells in here, the toilet won't flush.
      • It smells here....after three weeks of fresh air, I really notice it.
      Synonyms
      stink, stink to high heaven, reek, have a bad smell, be stinking, be malodorous
    2. 2.2 Appear in a certain way; be suggestive of something.
      it smells like a hoax to me
      Example sentencesExamples
      • I'm sure the parent company is optimistic but this smells like the beginning of the end of Koo Koo Roo to me.
      • Regardless of whether Kranish ever meant to write fluff for Kerry's book or not, the Elliott story smells like a put-up job.
      Synonyms
      give the impression of, smack of, savour of, have the hallmarks of, have all the signs of, appear like, seem like, have the air of, suggest

Phrases

  • smell blood

    • Discern weakness or vulnerability in an opponent.

      Example sentencesExamples
      • But Hide enters the fray as soon as he smells blood on anyone.
      • And, within hours of the first setback of his Ibrox management, they are thrown face-to-face with a Celtic side which smells blood.
      • The Tories will smell blood and be an effective opposition again at last.
      • His political adversaries are smelling blood.
      • But it is the conservative opposition that is smelling blood as the Greek Socialists struggle desperately to avoid defeat next Sunday, forcing them out of office after more than 20 years of almost uninterrupted rule.
      • He smells blood now, and he wants a clearer victory.
      • But in both cases people from all quarters of the organizations smelled blood and came after leaders who they had long disliked.
      • They smelled blood against a Dundee side notoriously fragile whenever there is the first sign of trouble and, displaying a bite they suddenly started to hunt down their opponents.
      • Ignoring such figures would undoubtedly result in cabinet resignations as the likely leadership candidates, smelling blood, jockey for position.
      • Oppositions always cry resign when they smell blood, merely because that's what Oppositions do.
  • smell a rat

    • informal Suspect trickery or deception.

      Example sentencesExamples
      • As Bell was pathologically private about his past relationships, marriages and children, I smelt a rat, but it took me a while to recognise that the girl in the photograph he held out for me to look at was myself.
      • I only mention it in case you think you smell a rat, but I promise I have nothing to gain by singing its praises.
      • She received payment from Scottish Amicable Life and Scottish Widows, but the third insurance company, Century Life, which was due to pay the largest amount of £287,562, smelt a rat and put an investigator on the case.
      • This is another reason for union leaders to smell a rat: it looks like this another attempt to privatize more city services.
      • I smelt a rat and therefore we want a judicial probe into the whole incident to unearth the truth ‘, he said.’
      • Neil smelt a rat and decided it was best not to proceed.
      • In fact the paintwork was so perfect, with not a single scratch despite being four years old, that we started to smell a rat.
      • Within a few days however somebody began to smell a rat when the ‘exact same letter’ - except for the signatures of course - began to turn up in eleven different US local newspaper groups.
      • Residents of Hopgrove were sent letters informing them their wheelie bins would arrive at the beginning of April but, when none turned up, they began to smell a rat.
      • They failed to smell a rat despite Baron Cohen's absurd questions.
  • smell the roses

    • informal Enjoy or appreciate what is often ignored.

      Example sentencesExamples
      • All things considered, though, it's time to stop, take a look around, and smell the roses (or newsprint, as the case may be).
      • So please wake up, read the tea leaves, smell the roses, act and fight for your own cause.
      • But of course, now that I'm a woman smelling the roses, living my own life, I won't talk to you a lot about it.
      • What I am trying to say to these certain Sligo businessmen is, wake up and smell the roses!
      • Those council members who stated staff was not to be considered need to wake up and smell the roses.
      • If we have enough food on the table, and gainful employment, then we should take time to smell the roses and enjoy the precious moments of our lives - like sands in an hour glass.
      • Well, I suggest he wakes up and smells the roses, because that will not happen under this bill, and certainly not under Part 3.
      • But bloody hell that girl has to wake up and smell the roses.
      • It's important to take time out once in a while to enjoy the fruits of one's labours, smell the roses and enjoy.
      • If anyone is bashing what it has achieved, they really should wake up and smell the roses.
  • smell something up

    • Permeate an area with a bad smell.

      he smelled up the whole house

Origin

Middle English: of unknown origin.

 
 
随便看

 

英语词典包含464360条英英释义在线翻译词条,基本涵盖了全部常用单词的英英翻译及用法,是英语学习的有利工具。

 

Copyright © 2004-2022 Newdu.com All Rights Reserved
更新时间:2024/12/24 21:22:00