Words / A2

SMEL/smel/

To smell is to notice something with your nose, or to have a smell: smell the bread, it smells good, smell of smoke. Smell is also a noun: a strong smell, the smell of coffee. Odour is more formal; scent is often pleasant. Stink is a strong, rude word for a bad smell. Do not say “smell to coffee” — say smell of coffee or the smell of coffee.

Meaning

To notice something with your nose, or to have a particular smell.

Examples

• “Can you smell the bread in the oven?”
• “Can you smell gas in the kitchen?”
• “The flowers smell lovely in the evening.”

Good to know

smell + noun / smell of + noun. it smells + adjective. Noun: a smell. Not “smell to.”

New