What does "scent" mean?
A distinctive smell.
Scent
/sɛnt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A distinctive smell.
- Grammar: scent is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: aroma, fragrance, odor, perfume.
- Useful contrasts: absence, foul odor, odiousness.
- Usage evidence: The flowers give off a very pleasant scent.
How to use "scent"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "scent" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "scent" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "scent" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "scent" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "scent" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aroma" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "scent", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A distinctive smell. countable, uncountable
"the scent of flowers / of a skunk"
- 2 any property detected by the olfactory system wordnet
- 3 A smell left by an animal that may be used for tracing. countable, uncountable
"The dogs picked up / caught the scent but then quickly lost it."
- 4 an odor left in passing by which a person or animal can be traced wordnet
- 5 The sense of smell. countable, uncountable
"I believe the bloodhound has the best scent of all dogs."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 a distinctive odor that is pleasant wordnet
- 7 A substance (usually liquid) created to provide a pleasant smell. uncountable
"a scent shop"
- 8 Any trail or trace that can be followed to find something or someone, such as the paper left behind in a paperchase. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"The minister's off-hand remark put journalists on the scent of a cover-up."
- 9 Sense, perception. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"A fit false dreame, that can delude the sleepers sent."
Verb
- 1 To detect the scent of; to discern by the sense of smell. transitive
"The hounds scented the fox in the woods."
- 2 apply perfume to wordnet
- 3 To inhale in order to detect the scent of (something). ambitransitive
"I paused to scent the breeze as I entered the valley."
- 4 catch the scent of; get wind of wordnet
- 5 To have a suspicion of; to detect the possibility of (something). figuratively, transitive
"I scented trouble when I saw them running down the hill towards me."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 cause to smell or be smelly wordnet
- 7 To impart an odour to, to cause to have a particular smell. transitive
"Scent the air with burning sage before you begin your meditation."
- 8 To have a smell; (figuratively) to give an impression (of something). intransitive, obsolete
"Thunderbolts & lightnings […] do sent strongly of brimstone:"
- 9 To hunt animals by means of the sense of smell.
Antonyms
Example
"The flowers give off a very pleasant scent."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "scent"?
Common synonyms include: aroma, fragrance, odor, perfume, smell, ambergris.
How do you use "scent" in a sentence?
The flowers give off a very pleasant scent.
How do you pronounce "scent"?
Pronounced /sɛnt/.
Etymology
From Middle English sent (noun) and senten (verb), from Old French sentir (“to feel, perceive, smell, sense”), from Latin sentīre (“to feel, sense”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to feel”), and thus related to Saterland Frisian Sin (“sense”), West Frisian sin (“sense”), Dutch zin (“sense, meaning”), Low German Sinn (“sense”), Luxembourgish Sënn (“sense, perception”), German Sinn (“sense”). The -c- appeared in the 17th century, possibly by influence of ascent, descent, etc., or by influence of science.