Meaning & use
smells
Last updated
“smells” is a form of “smell”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
Things you can notice with your nose, whether pleasant or unpleasant.
Grammar: Plural of smell: the smells of the market.
Patterns
- the smells of something
- smells coming from something
The smells of coffee and toast drifted in from the kitchen.
Strange smells were coming from the basement.
I love the smells of a bakery in the morning.
verblinking
Has a particular scent, or gives off an odor that other people can notice.
Grammar: Followed by an adjective or like: it smells sweet, it smells like smoke.
Patterns
- something smells good
- something smells like something
- something smells of something
This soup smells wonderful.
The room smells of paint.
Your jacket smells like a campfire.
verbtransitive
Notices or detects a scent with the nose.
Grammar: Takes an object: she smells the flowers; often used with can: I can smell smoke.
Patterns
- someone smells something
She smells every melon before she buys one.
The dog smells food from across the street.
He smells gas and calls the fire department.
Word forms
| base form | smell |
|---|---|
| past tense | smelled or smelt |
| past participle | smelled or smelt |
| -ing form | smelling |
Common combinations
- smells good
- Your cooking smells good.
- smells awful
- The old milk smells awful.
- smells like
- This candle smells like vanilla.
- smells of
- The kitchen smells of onions.
- smells fishy
- The whole deal smells fishy to me.
- familiar smells
- Familiar smells made him feel at home.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scents
- Scents are usually pleasant smells, whereas smells can be good or bad.
- odors
- Odors is more formal and usually refers to unpleasant smells.
- aromas
- Aromas are always pleasant and typically apply to food, coffee or wine.
- stinks
- Stinks is informal and only for strongly bad smells, while smells is neutral.
Word family
Commonly confused: smells or smells vs. tastes?
smells vs smells vs. tastes
Smells is about the nose, while tastes is about the mouth, though both are linking verbs with adjectives.
Practice
The soup ___ delicious, so everyone gathered in the kitchen.
Choose one answer.
Smells is the right form: a linking verb in the present simple with a singular subject. Is smelling is not used for a state, and smell does not agree with soup.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “smells”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.