Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense scents, present participle scenting, past tense, past participle scented
1. countable noun
The scent of something is the pleasant smell that it has.
Flowers are chosen for their scent as well as their look.
2. verb
If something scents a place or thing, it makes it smell pleasant.
Jasmine flowers scent the air. [VERB noun]
Scent your drawers and wardrobe with your favourite aromas. [VERB noun + with]
3. variable noun
Scent is a liquid which you can put on your skin to make yourself smell nice.
[British]
She dabbed herself with scent.
regional note: in AM, use perfume
4. variable noun
The scent of a person or animal is the smell that they leave and that other people sometimes follow when looking for them.
A police dog picked up the murderer's scent.
Many kinds of insect find their mates by scent.
Synonyms: trail, track, spoor More Synonyms of scent
5. verb [no cont]
When an animal scents something, it becomes aware of it by smelling it.
...dogs which scent the hidden birds. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: smell, sense, recognize, detect More Synonyms of scent
6. verb
If you scent a situation, you feel that it is going to happen.
Republicans from Pennsylvania and New York are scenting victory. [VERB noun]
More Synonyms of scent
scent in British English
(sɛnt)
noun
1.
a distinctive smell, esp a pleasant one
2.
a smell left in passing, by which a person or animal may be traced
3.
a trail, clue, or guide
4.
an instinctive ability for finding out or detecting
5. another word (esp Brit) for perfume
verb
6. (transitive)
to recognize or be aware of by or as if by the smell
7. (transitive)
to have a suspicion of; detect
I scent foul play
8. (transitive)
to fill with odour or fragrance
9. (intransitive)
(of hounds, etc) to hunt by the sense of smell
10.
to smell (at)
the dog scented the air
Derived forms
scented (ˈscented)
adjective
scentless (ˈscentless)
adjective
scentlessness (ˈscentlessness)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Old French sentir to sense, from Latin sentīre to feel; see sense
scent in American English
(sɛnt)
verb transitive
1.
to smell; perceive by the olfactory sense
2.
to get a hint or inkling of; suspect
to scent trouble
3.
to fill with an odor; give fragrance to; perfume
verb intransitive
4.
to hunt by the sense of smell
noun
5.
a smell; odor
6.
the sense of smell
7.
a manufactured fluid preparation used to give fragrance; perfume
8.
an odor left by an animal, by which it is tracked in hunting
9.
a track followed in hunting
10.
any clue by which something is followed or detected
11.
an intuitive capacity for discovering or detecting
a scent for news
SIMILAR WORDS: smell
SYNONYMY NOTE: scent, in this comparison, implies a relatively faint but pervasive smell, esp. one characteristicof a particular thing [the scent of apple blossoms]; perfume suggests a relatively strong, but usually pleasant, smell, either natural or manufactured[the rich perfume of gardenias]; fragrance always implies an agreeable, sweet smell, esp. of growing things [the fragrance of a freshly mowed field]; bouquet is specifically applied to the fragrance of a wine or brandy; , redolence implies a rich, pleasant combination of smells [the redolence of a grocery]
OPPOSITES: stench, stink
Derived forms
scented (ˈscented)
adjective
scentless (ˈscentless)
adjective
Word origin
ME senten < OFr sentir < L sentire, to feel: see send1
More idioms containing
scent
scent blood
throw someone off the scent
Examples of 'scent' in a sentence
scent
Other associations include floral and pleasant scents.
Christianity Today (2000)
Vanilla and orchid are the strongest scents.
The Sun (2013)
The memory lingers like a favourite scent.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
If citrus scents make you feel good then great.
The Sun (2014)
Try light and crisp fragrances that leave a fresh scent.
The Sun (2012)
Most of them could still follow a scent trail.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Tiny receptors inside the nose can detect thousands of scents.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
They go out as hound exercise clubs or follow an artificial scent.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
She cannot do interviews without enormous trays of lilies and scented candles.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Do you struggle to find a scent you like?
The Sun (2014)
Their scent will soon fill the lanes.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
That most people really do get through a bottle of scent in four hours and urgently need more.
The Sun (2013)
The double grand-slam winner was almost certainly on the scent of something there.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
This being the season finale, he scents blood.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Perhaps the bouquets' sweet scent hides the whiff of hypocrisy.
The Sun (2012)
Choose one with a scent you like, to make the instant hit all the more pleasurable.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
scent
British English: scent /sɛnt/ NOUN
The scent of something is the pleasant smell that it has.
...bushes with white flowers and a wonderful scent.
American English: scent
Arabic: عِطْر
Brazilian Portuguese: aroma
Chinese: 香味
Croatian: miris
Czech: vůně
Danish: duft
Dutch: geur
European Spanish: fragancia
Finnish: tuoksu
French: parfum
German: Duft
Greek: μυρωδιά
Italian: profumo
Japanese: におい
Korean: 냄새
Norwegian: duft
Polish: zapach
European Portuguese: aroma
Romanian: mireasmă
Russian: запах
Latin American Spanish: fragancia
Swedish: doft
Thai: กลิ่น
Turkish: koku
Ukrainian: пахощі
Vietnamese: hương thơm
British English: scent VERB
If something scents a place or thing, it makes it smell pleasant.
Jasmine flowers scent the air.
American English: scent
Brazilian Portuguese: perfumar
Chinese: 使充满香味
European Spanish: perfumar
French: parfumer
German: mit Duft erfüllen
Italian: profumare
Japanese: かおらせる
Korean: 향긋하게 하다
European Portuguese: perfumar
Latin American Spanish: perfumar
All related terms of 'scent'
scent blood
to sense a weakness in your opponent and take advantage of it
scent gland
any of various specialized skin glands , occurring in many kinds of animals, that emit an odor commonly functioning as a social or sexual signal or a defensive weapon
scent spray
perfume that comes in an aerosol bottle
scent bottle
a bottle of perfume
throw someone off the scent
to deliberately confuse or deceive someone who is trying to find out the truth about something, by making them believe something that is not true
Chinese translation of 'scent'
scent
(sɛnt)
n
(c)[of flowers, herbs etc]香味 (xiāngwèi)
(c/u) (used for tracking)[of person, animal]气(氣)味 (qìwèi)
(c/u) (Brit, = perfume) 香水 (xiāngshuǐ)
美 = perfume
vt
(= catch smell of) 嗅到 (xiùdào)
to put or throw sb off the scent使某人失去线(線)索 (shǐ mǒurén shīqù xiànsuǒ)
1 (noun)
Definition
a distinctive smell, esp. a pleasant one
She could smell the scent of her mother's lacquer.
Synonyms
fragrance
a shrubby plant with a strong fragrance
smell
the smell of freshly baked bread
perfume
the perfume of roses
bouquet
a perfume with a bouquet of lavender and rose
aroma
the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread
odour
the faint odour of garlic on his breath
niff (British, slang)
redolence
2 (noun)
Definition
a smell left in passing, by which a person or animal may be traced
A hunting dog picked up the bird's scent.
Synonyms
trail
The whales come close to shore, on the trail of squid.
track
We set off once more, over a rough mountain track.
spoor
3 (noun)
Definition
perfume
a bottle of scent
Synonyms
perfume
The room smelled of her mother's perfume.
fragrance
The advertisement is for a male fragrance.
cologne
eau de toilette (French)
eau de cologne (French)
toilet water
(verb)
Definition
to become aware of by smelling
dogs which scent the hidden birds
Synonyms
smell
We could smell the gas.
sense
recognize
detect
He could detect a certain sadness in her face.
sniff
Suddenly, he stopped and sniffed the air.
discern
sniff out
nose out
get wind of (informal)
be on the track or trail of
Additional synonyms
in the sense of aroma
Definition
a distinctive pleasant smell
the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread
Synonyms
scent,
smell,
perfume,
fragrance,
bouquet,
savour,
odour,
redolence
in the sense of bouquet
Definition
the aroma of wine
a perfume with a bouquet of lavender and rose
Synonyms
aroma,
smell,
scent,
perfume,
fragrance,
savour,
odour,
redolence
in the sense of detect
Definition
to perceive or notice
He could detect a certain sadness in her face.
Synonyms
notice,
see,
spot,
catch,
note,
identify,
observe,
remark,
recognize,
distinguish,
perceive,
scent,
discern,
ascertain,
descry
Synonyms of 'scent'
scent
Explore 'scent' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of odour
Definition
a particular and distinctive scent or smell
the faint odour of garlic on his breath
Synonyms
smell,
scent,
perfume,
fragrance,
stink,
bouquet,
aroma,
whiff,
stench,
pong (British, informal),
niff (British, slang),
redolence,
malodour,
fetor
in the sense of sniff
Definition
to smell by sniffing
Suddenly, he stopped and sniffed the air.
Synonyms
smell,
nose,
breathe in,
scent,
get a whiff of,
catch the scent of,
detect the smell of
in the sense of track
Definition
a rough road or path
We set off once more, over a rough mountain track.