smell

1 the quality of a thing that makes it perceptible to the sense organs in the nose the smell of vanilla is supposed to be very soothing Synonyms of smell aroma, odor, redolence, scent, sniff Words Related to smell whiff; attar (also otto), bouquet, fragrance, fragrancy, perfume; ambrosia, lusciousness, savor (also savour), savoriness, spice, tang; acridness, fetidness, fetor, foulness, funk, gaminess, malodor, noisomeness, rancidity, rankness, reek, stench, stink; aromaticity, odoriferousness, odorousness; incense, musk

2 a very small amount the pie has barely a smell of ginger, but lots of cinnamon Synonyms of smell ace, bit, crumb, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, hint, lick, little, mite, nip, ounce, peanuts, ray, scintilla, scruple, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smack, particle, smidgen (also smidgeon or smidgin or smidge), snap, soupçon, spark, spatter, speck, splash, spot, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, touch, traceWords Related to smell hoot, iota, jot, minim, minimum, modicum, semblance, syllable, tittle, vestige, whit; atom, dot, fleck, flyspeck, grain, granule, molecule, morsel, mote, nubbin, patch, scrap; dash, drop, pinch; part, portion, section; bite, nibble, taste; handful, scattering, smatter, smattering; dose, shot; chip, flake, fragment, shard, shiver, sliver, smithereens, splinter; shred, tatter; clipping, paring, shavingNear Antonyms of smell abundance, barrel, boatload, bucket, bundle, bushel, deal, fistful, gobs, heaps, lashings (also lashins) [chiefly British], loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, oodles, passel, peck, pile, plenty, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, scads, stack, wad, wealth; volume; bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overflow, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus; chunk, hunk, lump, slab

3 a special quality or impression associated with something a law firm with a mahogany-lined boardroom that has the discernible smell of money and power Synonyms of smell air, ambience (or ambiance), aroma, atmosphere, climate, flavor, halo, karma, mood, nimbus, note, odor, patina, aura, temper, vibration(s)Words Related to smell aureole (or aureola), mystique, romance; genius loci; feel, feeling, sensation, sense, spirit; attribute, character, characteristic, image, mark, notion, peculiarity, picture, property, trait; color, illusion, overtone, semblance, suggestion, tone

1 to become aware of by means of the sense organs in the nose we smelled the aroma of freshly baked cookies as soon as we walked in the house Synonyms of smell nose, scent, sniff, snuff, whiff Words Related to smell breathe, drink (in), inhale, respire; snort, snuffle; savor (also savour)

2 to have a vague awareness of I smell something fishy about this situation Synonyms of smell perceive, scent, see, sense, feel, tasteWords Related to smell behold, descry, discern, distinguish, espy, eye, look (at), note, notice, observe, perceive, regard, remark, sight, spy, view, witness; ascertain, catch on (to), discover, find out, hear, learn, realize; anticipate, divine, expect, foreknow, foresee; assume, conjecture, guess, presume, speculate, suppose, surmise, suspect

3 to be objectionable or unsatisfactory that movie smells—I wouldn't waste my money on it if I were you Synonyms of smell bite [slang], stink, suck [slang]Antonyms of smell rock [slang], rule [slang]