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scent
[ sent ]
noun
- a distinctive odor, especially when agreeable:
the scent of roses.
- an odor left in passing, by means of which an animal or person may be traced.
- a track or trail as or as if indicated by such an odor:
The dogs lost the scent and the prisoner escaped.
- the sense of smell:
a remarkably keen scent.
- small pieces of paper dropped by the hares in the game of hare and hounds.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
- to hunt by the sense of smell, as a hound.
scent
/ sɛnt /
noun
- a distinctive smell, esp a pleasant one
- a smell left in passing, by which a person or animal may be traced
- a trail, clue, or guide
- an instinctive ability for finding out or detecting
- another word (esp Brit) for perfume
verb
- tr to recognize or be aware of by or as if by the smell
- tr to have a suspicion of; detect
I scent foul play
- tr to fill with odour or fragrance
- intr (of hounds, etc) to hunt by the sense of smell
- to smell (at)
the dog scented the air
Derived Forms
- ˈscentlessness, noun
- ˈscentless, adjective
- ˈscented, adjective
Other Words From
- scentless adjective
- scentless·ness noun
- non·scented adjective
- outscent verb (used with object)
- over·scented adjective
- un·scented adjective
- well-scented adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of scent1
Idioms and Phrases
see throw off , def. 3.Synonym Study
Example Sentences
The couple even hired a bloodhound handler to track Mushie’s scent from the dogsitter’s home to a nearby spot where the trail stopped cold.
He now has 41 of the dogs, which he has trained to follow human scent.
More pheromones created a stronger scent for the ants to follow, a critical factor when the food source is located far from the nest.
He switched venues at the last minute to throw press off the scent, and confiscated the recordings.
There is suddenly a vulnerability about Manchester City that is offering rivals the sort of encouragement they have rarely scented since Guardiola arrived.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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